


Moving Past You

by SquaryQ



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Angst, Budding Romances, But the others need to realise that she actually has them, Childishness, Confession, Crushes, Drastic changes, Emotions fucking suck, F/M, High School Drama, Jealousy, Momoi needs to realise she isn't the only one with feelings, Mutual Pining, Post-Canon, Rejection, Romantic Confession, Second year, Slow Burn, Social Tact & Tactlessness, Unrequited, clarity, everything is burning, ffs you nerds just learn to SEE whats in front of you, haircut, just really slowly, lots of pining, one sided pining, repressed feelings, side kasakise slow burn, side midotaka subtle slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2017-06-06
Packaged: 2018-08-24 07:57:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 19,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8364187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SquaryQ/pseuds/SquaryQ
Summary: She had hung onto these feelings for too long, always psyching herself up to confess and never did. It was the eve of White day and she was adamant, it had to happen so she could jump into her future with Testu-kun. She went to school that day, shaking and bouncing with anticipation; she was going to do it. She was going to do it properly! Finally, after all of those years.She was in second year now, it had to be done, and they had to establish their relationship. They just had to do it.And that was exactly what she did. She confessed.“I’m sorry, Momoi-san, but I do not return your feelings. You see, I’m currently in a relationship with Kyoko-san from class 2-B.”





	1. The Haircut

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS FIC IS HEAVILY INSPIRED BY MY FRIEND BLACK-TALIA-ROSE 'S WATTPAD FANFIC "TWISTED HEARTS"  
> Sorry if it seems so much like yours atm. I can fix it after class tomorrow!

 

He talked to her when she grew her hair, he seemed to like her more when she wore it down and it framed her face, it was well-maintained and she continued to grow it. What she really didn’t want to do was change her look and cause him to lose interest.

 

After that rejection, she figured the first thing she should do after crying for how many hours it had been, was cut her hair. She marched into the kitchen, holding a pair of scissors in her shaking hands. That’s when her mother sat her down. Instead of confronting her daughter’s problem, she found it would be better to do what she wanted.

 

“Mum, can you cut my hair…” The lump was still in her throat, she could easily just start crying there and then, but she didn’t want her mother to worry, or laugh. Holding onto love for five years. He was reciprocating wasn’t he? He took her out on a date! Twice! Several years apart but that didn’t matter, he won her a stuffed animal and it was one of her most prized possessions.

 

She had to be mature about this, maybe he was just ignorant. Things could still tip into her favour with Kuroko, she had to hang on just to be sure.

 

“But Satsuki, dear! You’ve been growing it since middle school!”

 

Her grip tightened on the scissors as she gritted her teeth in frustration, “Yes, but I want to cut it. Now. Please.”

 

Her mum sighed, “How much would you like me to cut off?”

 

“Up to my mid-shoulder-blades please!” Momoi exclaimed, feigning her enthusiasm, despite her obvious puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

 

“Okay Satsuki, just sit down and I’ll cut it off now.”

 

“Thank you Mum,” she said, rubbing her eyes.

 

This would be the first step. Screw this! Tetsu-kun didn’t like her anymore! This Kyoko chick had ruined her chances and she was determined to look happy without him. Perhaps it would make him want her if he saw what he was missing? She wasn’t sure what this would really accomplish but as long as her long hair was gone she would feel better.

 

Or so she thought. It was never going to be that easy but it was worth a shot.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS FIC IS HEAVILY INSPIRED BY MY FRIEND BLACK-TALIA-ROSE 'S WATTPAD FANFIC "TWISTED HEARTS"  
> Sorry if it seems so much like yours atm. I can fix it after class tomorrow!


	2. Avoiding A Scolding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS FIC IS HEAVILY INSPIRED BY MY FRIEND BLACK-TALIA-ROSE 'S WATTPAD FANFIC "TWISTED HEARTS"  
> Sorry if it seems so much like yours atm. I can fix it after class tomorrow!

 

It had been several hours since the haircut and Satsuki’s mother was still worried. Her daughter hadn’t come downstairs all evening, hadn’t spoken to her parents, hadn’t been typing away at the old computer doing extra research for the basketball team, hadn’t even come downstairs to have some tea. She had been completely isolated since her hair was chopped off.

 

Typing a hurried text to Aomine Sayaka, she hoped her friend would be able to shed some light on her teenaged daughter’s rather dramatic shift in attitude.

 

Upon receiving the text, Aomine Sayaka called her son downstairs, ready to reprimand him if he had misbehaved and caused his best friend to become so upset she demanded a good several inches to be hacked off. It was practically the same length it was when she had joined middle school.

 

“OI! DAIKI! DOWNSTAIRS! NOW!” she had shouted.

 

Her son had begrudgingly done as he was told and trudged downstairs, limbs heavy from fatigue. He had been suffering from study related sleeping irregularities and most of his teammates were concerned. It was horrible for him to wither away in the face of a textbook, but he was adamant he wouldn’t come close to flunking a single subject this year. And without Satsuki’s encouragement.

 

It was taking its toll but he was simply happy to be making her proud of him for this sudden enthusiasm toward his education. She seemed to feel like he was finally doing something for himself and trying to battle the lazy heathen within his soul in order to carve a pathway for his future.

 

His mother had disturbed his nap. He was getting increasingly better at taking power-naps between study bursts. He was using a method Satsuki had recommended of 15 minute spurts of work, followed by a three minute break, where he would crash and sleep. His pattern for work would be ruined for the night, but there was something much more pressing in his mother’s tone than what he would link to having left dishes or not folded laundry.

 

No, this was serious.

 

“Daiki, Satsuki-chan is very upset.”

 

Aomine Daiki’s expression didn’t appear to change, but he was in fact very concerned. What had happened? She said she was heading off into town after practise and wouldn’t be able to walk home with him. Had something happened on the way home? Had some creeps tried to have their way with her?

 

He said nothing.

 

“Her mother is really worried, said she went to see one of your old teammates and hasn’t been herself since she got back,” Sayaka states, eyes bearing into her sons, almost pleading with him to give any indication that he knew what had caused the change in Satsuki’s attitude.

 

“Did she say which teammate it was?” Surely it couldn’t have been Murasakibara or Akashi, yes they were more likely to upset her but they were much too far away for her to have visited and come home and wallowed in despair. It had to be a local one.

 

Midorima perhaps? She hadn’t mentioned who she was going to see when she left after practise. Had she? Midorima was more likely to say something randomly and trigger an outburst, was he not? After all, his temper always seemed to collate with how well Oha-Asa said his star sign would do today.

 

“Mum, I swear to you, if I knew what was wrong with Satsuki, I would tell you.”

 

She believed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS FIC IS HEAVILY INSPIRED BY MY FRIEND BLACK-TALIA-ROSE 'S WATTPAD FANFIC "TWISTED HEARTS"  
> Sorry if it seems so much like yours atm. I can fix it after class tomorrow!


	3. Showered In Compliments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS FIC IS HEAVILY INSPIRED BY MY FRIEND BLACK-TALIA-ROSE 'S WATTPAD FANFIC "TWISTED HEARTS"

“Happy white day, Satsuki, are you going to be at practise today?” Her dear Dai-chan had been waiting outside her house for her that morning. He looked shocked to see her hair and even more surprised by the make-up on her face, she rarely wore it, and made sure to avoid wearing it whenever Kuroko would be present. It was white day, surely she would be going to see him afterwards!

 

“Of course I am, Dai-chan!”

 

Aomine pursed his lips but said nothing more on the subject of her attendance.

 

“I like your hair, I always thought it suited you more when it was in a ponytail like that, Satsuki.”

 

“Thanks, Dai-chan.”

 

Momoi went to school that day, head held high with her best friend, and a face unrecognisable by many in her class, she had reverted back to many habits she had had before she fell in love with him. Her face was coated in the sheen of a perfect foundation, hours of practise many years ago had made lathering her face in all of the make up her bag as easy as riding a bike. But Testu-kun had spoken to her when she had overslept and didn’t have time to wear it. So she quit.

 

She would be a Satsuki he would want back. He would be so shocked by her appearance when he next saw her that he would just have to regret the rejection!

 

“Ooh! Satsuki-chaaaan! You look so pretty! Do you have a special date tonight?”

 

“Nope, I’m just going to basketball practise, as usual.” She had replied to the probing questions of her classmates.

 

“Man Satsuki-chan, I really love your hair! It really suits you! Short hair really looks great on you!”

 

“Thank you so much!” she had replied.

 

By lunch time she had become sick of the questions of her classmates and decided to cross the hall and visit Dai-chan. According to Sakurai, who also complimented her appearance, without asking questions, informed her that he had sulked off to eat on his own.

 

She knew where he would be, there was only one place he would go if he wasn’t going to eat in class, and it would be there that they would dine. She would eat her packed lunch up upon the rooftop with Dai-chan.

 

She managed to catch up with him at the stairs, eyes shining as she called after him, “Dai-chan! Hold up! I’m coming too!” she exclaimed.

 

“Okay.”

 

When she was with him, she knew she was vulnerable. He had the capacity to read her better than anything in the world. If there was an exam on Momoi Satsuki, he would get 100% on it. In his sleep. She knew he would want to know what had evoked such a drastic change of heart and was almost certain he already had an inkling as to what the problem was. Surely he had to know that Tetsu-kun had rejected her!

 

After seeing her, he had begun to allow cogs to turn. He remembered the photos their mothers took on the first day of middle school, when a thirteen year old Satsuki was smiling beside him, her hair resting at the middle of her shoulder-blades. Her face was dusted with make-up and lashes lacquered with mascara. She wanted to look extra pretty for her first day. She looked like that today, except with a greater expertise in applying make-up. Satsuki looked absolutely gorgeous and Aomine knew she must have been bombarded with compliments all morning.

 

She stopped wearing make-up randomly during the first year of Middle School, and when he was in his worst place and tried to push her away, Satsuki began to grow her hair. It was around that point that she seemed to be developing those feelings.

 

Had something happened with Tetsu?

 

During the intermission of classes, Aomine had texted Tetsu, demanding to know if anything had happened between him and Satsuki the previous night but there had been no response. And he definitely didn’t want to pry if Kuroko Tetsuya was the reason she was upset. It was bad enough being carted around with Kise to get her ready for their “dates”. Not that he ever seemed to put in the effort. She was always chirping on and on about how he was her boyfriend and she was his girlfriend. He had always wondered about it.

 

Had they even officially been in a relationship? Had he done something? Had he broken up with her?


	4. Ditching Practice

 

By the end of the day, he had decided. He would be ditching basketball practice.

 

Once the day had ended, he approached Sakurai, fist balled, “I want you to promise me something, got it?”

 

“Yes!”

 

“If Satsuki asks what made me sick tell her it was the food that I made for lunch and that I need to start eating her bentos.”

 

“But Aomine-san! She can’t!”

 

“I know.”

 

“Aomine-san, where are you going?”

 

“Home. I’m ill.” His tone is sharp, powerful and affirming, the intensity of his certainty making the meek boy shake in his boots.

 

“Yes! Okay! I’m sorry! Feel better soon Aomine-san!”

 

“Will do.”

 

And with that, he took a deep breath and strode out of class 2C. Faking a stomach ache, he staggered into class 2D, Momoi’s room. She gasps upon seeing the sickened boy.

 

“Dai-chan! Are you okay?”

 

“I’m not…”

 

“Do you want me to take you to the nurse?” she asks, eyes wide with horror.

 

“I think I ate something bad...Mum’s gonna pick me up from the…convenience store…in ten…I can’t…” he puffs out his cheeks dramatically and holding his hands in front of his lips before swallowing, eyes rolling back for a moment, “…go to practice.”

 

“Dai-chan! Please feel better soon! I’ll come over tonight with some chicken herb ramen! That’ll help!” she exclaims confidently.

 

Aomine’s face goes pale, Mrs Momoi Aina was a fabulous cook, but Satsuki was horrible at imitating her mother’s recipes. He had developed a strong stomach and could eat anything she gave him but chicken herb ramen was a delicacy. He silently prayed it would be her mother’s dish and not a copy of it.

 

“As long… as it’s not too much trouble for your mother.”

 

“Of course it isn’t!”

 

“Okay…Thank you Satsuki…I’m gonna…” he puffs out his cheeks again before gulping and running from the room.

 

“Dai-chan!” she hollers, “Feel better soon!”

 

He bolts into the nearest men’s bathroom and texts his mother, informing her that Momoi Aina may or may not be bringing a big bowl of chicken herb ramen over because he was “sick” and if they ask to see him, and he’s not home then he’s “too ill to come out of his room”.

 

Upon receiving that message, Aomine Sayaka rolls her eyes and sends a hasty reply of five words:

 

_‘Do I want to know???’_

 

Aomine smirks upon this reply and heads out of the bathroom, acting weak and weary as he makes his way far away from his school. He had two hours to get from Torou High School to Serin High School. He could do that. He had to.

 

Once he’s out of sight of the school building, the second year begins a basic warm up before breaking into a jog. He had to get to Serin before Kuroko finished at basketball practice.

 

He had to know whether it was Tetsu who hurt Satsuki.


	5. The Trip To Serin

 

Furihata Kouki was the one who found the exhausted ace of the Generation of Miracles, collapsed outside of the Serin High School gym. He called for Kagami and Fukuda to help him pull Aomine inside.

 

Never had Kagami Taiga seen Aomine in such a state, his breathing erratic as he lay on the floor, body dripping in sweat. His eyes slowly open and he peers around the room as his heavy body is pulled inside the gym.

 

Riko squawks like a great bird and runs out of the gym, returning moments later with a bottle of water and a packet of sugary sweets. She rests them beside Aomine as he tries to regain his composure.

 

“Oi! Aomine! Wake up will ya!” Kagami commands, nudging the navy haired ace with his foot.

 

A groan of pain escapes Aomine’s lips as he sits up and brings the bottle of water to his lips, he takes a few steps.

 

“Tetsuya!!!” A girl in the same uniform as Riko begins to squeal, waving frantically behind a clipboard. Her long mousey hair hangs straight down minus one small bun being formed from what may have been her bangs once upon a time. The bun on the left hand side of her face is tied with a blue bow resembling Kuroko’s eye colour. The ribbon contrasts with her gold eyes.

 

“You were amazing!” she cheers, waving her arms in glee.

 

Kagami scoffs from his space beside Aomine. His eyes flicker between Kuroko and this new girl.

 

“Thank you, Kyoko-chan.”

 

“Who is that?” Aomine asks before taking another sip of his water.

 

“Her name is Takashi Kyoko-chan.”

 

“She’s Serin’s new manager.”

 

“And Kuroko’s girlfriend,” Kagami says.

 

Those three words cause Aomine to cough and splutter, choking on the water Riko gave him, and alerting both Kuroko and Kyoko to his presence.

 

The shortest member of the old Teiko team approaches Aomine confidently, clapping him on the back as he coughs.

 

“Aomine-kun, what are you doing here?”

 

“Ah, hey Tetsu, I actually came here to challenge Bakagami to a one on one,” Aomine lies.

 

This Kyoko chick is Tetsu’s girlfriend. She doesn’t look anything LIKE Satsuki! Satsuki’s much better looking!

 

Satsuki had really long hair and never wore make up! Her hair was thick and healthy too! This Kyoko has a rather standard bust and figure too, nowhere near as curvy and busty as Satsuki. Physically worlds apart. Tetsu was clearly on a physicality downgrade – it’s like going from a galaxy to an asteroid.

 

“That’s too bad Aomine-kun,” Kyoko says, resting her hands on her hips, “Kagami-kun is on probation til his foot heals up. So bye bye! Tetsuyaa and I were just about to go, right?”

 

“Yes, sorry you wasted your energy running her Aomine-kun.”

 

“Tch. I didn’t waste my energy.” Aomine retorts, snatching what Riko had left him and leaving the premises with just as much haste as he had when he arrived.


	6. Going Home

 

The setting sun beat upon the exhausted Aomine as he ran away from Serin High School, his brain stimulated by furious thoughts about this Kyoko who had suddenly attracted Tetsu’s interest. Out of every girl at Serin High School he happened to choose someone as plain and boring looking as Takashi Kyoko? It made no sense!

 

His head whirls from the girl Kuroko is now seeing and then back to Satsuki. The only thing she could surely have on Satsuki would be that she could cook! But even then, there was no way this girl was as smart, pretty or skilled as Satsuki. That, he was certain of.

 

He stops to take a swig of water and realises he ought to call his mother. She was, fortunately, not in the middle of any complex work at the hospital when he called.

 

“Daiki, what’s wrong?” his mother asks, voice strained.

 

“Satsuki,” is all Aomine can manage before wheezing in exhaustion again.

 

“Oh? You get through to her?”

 

“Not exactly... Can you get her over tonight?”

 

His mother hesitates, a low hum coming from her lips.

 

“Tetsu got a girlfriend.”

 

“Oh, gosh! Of course! We just got told that Doctor Sakamoto’s wife went into labour about thirty minutes ago. It’s a free for all right now, nobody could change their plans so quickly. I’ll cover for him and get Aina-chan to bring Satsuki-chan round. If that’s okay with you, Daiki?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Great! Take care of Satsuki-chan now! Ya hear?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

He trudges into his house merely minutes before the doorbell chimes; only having time to throw his clothes, drenched in his sweat into the washing machine. His mother is bound to give him an earful for not washing anything else, but his uniform would need to be the priority.

 

He had changed into slobby pyjamas when the doorbell sounded. He pulls his heavy body from his bed and heads to the door. Stood there are two women with the same shade of rosy hair. One significantly older than the other. Aomine bows his head and allows them in.

 

“Sorry for the intrusion, Dai-chan. But your mother text and said she had to cover for Doctor Sakamoto tonight,” Momoi Aina chimes.

 

She strides into the Aomine family home as if it were her own, placing the shopping bags in the doorway by the kitchen before turning to face her teenage daughter and godson, Daiki.

 

Aomine Daiki watches as his Godmother ties her hair into a ponytail and produces an apron from one of the plastic bags she brought over.

 

“Sorry for the trouble, Aunt Aina,” he says.

 

“Come now, Dai-chan, you’re no trouble! Right, Satsuki-chan.”

 

“Yes, Mum!” Satsuki chimes, holding a backpack and two carrier bags. She hadn’t changed out of her school uniform, but her soft pink hair was hanging loosely now. Aina glances at her daughter with narrowed eyes. She says nothing more, turning her attention back to her godson.

 

“Your mother told Satsuki to stay and make sure you were doing well tonight.”

 

Aomine yawns and stretches his arms over his head, “Thank you Aunt Aina.”

 

“Always so polite, aren’t we Dai-chan?” Momoi Aina teases, pinching the sixteen year old’s cheek and grinning at his discomfort, “Go on, Satsuki, I’ll prepare dinner.”

 

Aomine struggled to contain his delight that his favourite dish wouldn’t be ruined by Satsuki’s culinary incompetence today.


	7. Feeling Better

 

They found themselves piled up together on Daiki’s bed within an hour. An old CD they used to prance and dance to when they were kids plays as they lie together.

“Do you remember when we used to think we were okay dancers, Dai-chan?”

“Used to think. Ha. I’m a great dancer, Satsuki.”

“Sure sure!” she laughs, arching her back upward and stretching.

Satsuki had changed clothes once she had set her bag down. Instead of her school uniform, she wore a thin knitted cream jumper and a pair of mint green cotton shorts. Her short hair was pulled into a messy bun instead of a ponytail.

Daiki was in camo shorts and a white tank top, listening to the sound of Satsuki’s breaths over the music.

Daiki had her head on his chest. She could probably hear his heartbeat.

“Hey, Satsuki. You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah Dai-chan…” her reply comes from her lips lazily.

“I don’t believe you…” He mutters, holding a pillow over his mouth to reduce the sound.

“Dai-chan?”

“Yeah?”

“What did you say.”

“Nothing.”

“I don’t believe you…”

Aomine sighs, “I said I don’t believe you.”

Satsuki sighs, sitting up. He copies her.

“Satsuki…I…”

His dark blue eyes meet her peony ones, her waterline is glistening. The flood gates are barely holding together. He gives her hand a squeeze.

“Dai-chan~” Her voice begins to waver. He puts both of his hands on her shoulders as she sniffles, “Dai-chan… Tetsu-kun… He…He!”

And suddenly she was in tears, wailing like she had done when he put a frog on her head. Wails and sobs choking her as she gasped for air. She was in pieces.

He pulled her closer to him and held her against his chest while she wept. Her words incoherently muffled by the fabric of his shirt.

“It’s okay, Satsuki. It’s going to be okay,” he murmured into her hair.

She couldn’t help but try to reason with herself.

_Sometimes you need a good cry. And sometimes you need Dai-chan._

Satsuki wipes her tears with her palms and looks up at her best friend. He smiles down at her and flicks her on the forehead before giving her another one armed hug. She smiled against his tear-stained shirt.

“Can you talk now? Or are you just going to let another tsunami rage. Let me know before I change my shirt.” Aomine grins wolfishly. Momoi rolls her eyes and gives him a shove.

“I should be okay. Thank you Dai-chan.”

He gets to his feet and peels of his soggy shirt and grabbing another one from his closet before trudging to his mother’s room. He may be cold to most, but he knew how to get one Momoi Satsuki to bare her soul.

He went to his mother’s dressing table and grabbed a large pink chest from the top. He tucked it beneath his armpit and heads downstairs.

Mrs Momoi Aina stands in the kitchen, stirring a pot of food. He grins. He was lucky Satsuki hadn’t decided to cook for him tonight. Ever so lucky.

“You okay, Dai-chan?”

“Yeah. Feeling better. Thanks.” He says, averting eye contact. He heads toward one of the head-height cabinets and removes a box of hot chocolate mix and then approaches the mug tree. Satsuki’s own mug, a cute Disney one of Winnie the Pooh, was slowly being filled with ingredients for Satsuki’s favourite hot chocolate.

Her mother watches Daiki move through the kitchen like a wiz. She rolls her eyes at his sudden energy.

“Are you sure you should be drinking from the cocoa cinnamon volcano if you’ve been hurling today, Dai-chan.”

His face burns scarlet.

He had been found out.

Crap.


	8. Evening In

Mrs Momoi Aina was always a beautiful woman. Displeasure was not becoming of her. She once had brilliant pink hair like her daughter but dyed it in favour of a brilliant blonde to suit her aura as she called it. Daiki never really understood it but knew that if Satsuki was a lucky woman she would look even half as brilliant as her mother does at her age. Momoi Aina blossomed with maturity and flourished. She was his mother’s platonic soul-mate and partner in wine. And therefore was like a second mother.

Momoi Aina raised her thin brown eyebrows at her Godson.

“Dai-chan? Are you SURE you should be drinking that?” she repeats, flour caked hands on her hips, producing a small cloud of dust to jump from her navy blue jumper.

He avoids her stare and looks for any excuse to head back to his room to see Satsuki.

“Dai-chan?” Aina takes a step toward him and puts a finger beneath his chin, tipping it up so he has to look her in the eye. Her eyes are like Satsuki’s. They’re the same shade of peony, framed by thick lashes.

Just minutes ago, Satsuki’s lashes were wet from her tears. He grimaces.

“Aunt Aina! I!”

She claps a floured hand on his forehead and purses her lips, her head tilting from side to side.

“Maybe it’s just the flour but you don’t seem to have a temperature, Dai-chan…” she hums with a smirk on her lips, “Now tell me what you’re up to before your drink gets cold.”

“Satsuki isn’t okay right now, Aunt Aina.”

“I know that, Dai-chan. That doesn’t justify a cocoa cinnamon volcano now does it?” she demands. Her words accusatory but tone the exact opposite. Daiki stares up at the other woman who raised him and bites his tongue.

“Dai-chan, she tugs him toward one of the kitchen chairs. He sits down. She bends down to look him in the eye and he smirks at her.

“I can’t believe there was a time I could do this when you were stood up. Gosh. Dai-chan you’ve grown up so quickly… Now tell me, like an adult… why you’re pretending to be sick. Is it so someone can come over and baby you? That doesn’t sound like you.”

“Aunt Aina, its Satsuki… she’s really upset.”

“I could tell. Now can you tell me why? Otherwise I’m holding your cocoa cinnamon volcanoes hostage in my stomach.”

Daiki rolls his eyes.

“Aunt Aina you’re allergic to cinnamon.”

“Hush. That’s irrelevant. Now tell me Dai-chan. What’s the matter with her?”

“Tetsu got a new girlfriend.”

With that all of the colour drains from his sunny Auntie’s face.

“When did she…?”

“The day she cut her hair.”

Aina’s shaky hands thrust the drinks into Daiki’s hands and she ushers him upstairs.

“If she’s talking to you hold onto that. Go!” she hisses.

“Yes Aunt Aina.”

 

 

Satsuki took down the cocoa cinnamon volcano within minutes, a moustache of whipped cream resting on her upper lip. Daiki wishes for better circumstances to bring that same expression to her face when it timing would be better for a photograph.

“Satsuki. Do you want to talk about it?”

“Dai-chan…” she hiccups, “I am so confused.”

_‘Yeah? I’ve met the girl. Compared to Satsuki the girl’s a troll’_

“That’s okay.”

“Like Tetsu-kun knew I liked him so much! We were boyfriend and girlfriend!”

“I know, Satsuki,” Daiki says, opening the pink chest from his mother’s room. Her cheaper make up. The good stuff was locked away out of habit. They hadn’t done this in years. But it always made Satsuki feel better. All the cosmetics would match his skin tone too.

A mischevious grin crosses her face as she digs in the box.

“Part of me wants to know what she’s like. I bet she’s so much prettier than me.”

‘She’s a troll.’

Aomine hums in response, closing his eyes as his childhood best friend lathers an egg shaped sponge in his mother’s cheap foundation to even out his complexion. He may not have acne but most sixteen year old boys are due their awkward phase.

“But then I don’t think I’ll be able to look at Testu-kun. Dai-chan what am I going to do once we start playing practise matches! One on ones with Kise are just going to give him all of your skills!” she wails.

“You’ll have to see him eventually, Satsuki. But not until you’re ready. I’m sure he’ll respect any wishes you have. All you need to do is acquire a carrier pigeon for your demands.”

Satsuki hums for a moment as she unscrews another product from the chest.

_‘I swear to god if that’s mascara I’m going to scream’_

“I don’t want to seem pathetic though, Dai-chan!”

“Satsuki.”

He sits up, eyes opening wide.

“You are not pathetic for having emotions you know? Idiot.”

“Oi! Hold still! I’m gonna put the mascara on!”

_‘This is torture!’_

As Satsuki cakes her best friend’s eyes in mascara, she begins to think aloud again.

“I want to see what this girl looks like! I bet she’s got huge boobs and pretty hair. I bet she’s the prettiest girl at Serin High! I bet she’s got a better figure than me and I’m sure she’s taller too!”

“Don’t worry about what she looks like Satsuki. You look great.”

“But I’m pudgy!” she wails.

Aomine opens his eyes wide and glares at his best friend.

She burst into fits of giggles.

“You look so silly Dai-chan.”

“Dai-chaaaaaaan! Satsukiiiiii! Dinner’s ready!”

“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me. I’ll be a minute. I’ve got to wash this crap off my face.”

“No! No! Show mum!” Satsuki grabs his hand and drags him downstairs while he groans in protest.

_‘At least she’s not being insecure anymore.’_


	9. Morning After

 

When you get spotted on the day after White Day, leaving Aomine Daiki’s house by one of your classmates, how do you react?

Option one: Die of embarrassment at the connotation that she had slept with Dai-chan

Option two: Deny the very fact that you had spent the night at Dai-chan’s house

Option three: Admit it and watch the reactions for fun

Option four: Let Dai-chan do the talking.

Satsuki chose both Option Three and Four.

Sat in her first period class, hair tied into a messy bun and an amused smile on her face, she is confronted by a girl who sits a few rows across.

The girl, Hiraki Naomi has long thick glossy black hair and a full fringe. It rests at her waist and shines in all light. Most boys in the class find her endearing. Satsuki knows she’s just adding extra essential oils to her hair before blow-drying it and applying mousse. Her hair is down and a floral headband dons the crown of her head. She strides over, arms behind her back and swaying, bust jutting out comically.

“Hey Satsuki-chan, how was your White Day?”

“I didn’t really do anything for White Day, how was yours Naomi-chan?” she replies, looking to her bag and pulling her equipment from inside.

“Oh come on, Satsuki-chan! I saw you this morning!”

“Okay…?”

“You were with Aomine-kun this morning!”

“Naomi-chan, please.” One of her friends, Reika rolls her eyes, “Satsuki-chan is always with Aomine-kun.”

Satsuki resists the temptation to grimace at the use of ‘Aomine-kun’ as a term of addressing Dai-chan. The memories of it coming from her own mouth and it making her queasy. It turned out that at Teiko, most people assumed they were a couple regardless. But Satsuki didn’t want to let Dai-chan know he was right and held up until he changed.

…Until Tetsu-kun brought Dai-chan back.

She shudders.

“I saw you leaving Aomine-kun’s house with him this morning.”

That turns more heads.

Satsuki blushes furiously, Kuroko now out of her mind.

“No way!” Reika exclaims, her curly bleached blonde hair bouncing as she moves.

“So?” Satsuki shrugs.

“SO!” the girls shriek like birds. They all but morph into vultures as they swarm her, demanding to know how everything happened.

“I’m not saying a thing! Want to know, ask Dai-chan!” Because then he’ll have to say she put make up on him before dinner to feel better.

The girls huff and cross their arms. Satsuki grins.

Most girls at Torou are afraid to talk to ‘Aomine-kun’ because he’s so impressive. Some others are afraid that Momoi would turn into a cold hearted beast and devour them whole for attempting to sway her Dai-chan.

At lunch, he’s all but assaulted by ravenous gossip hungry girls headed by Naomi and Reika, wanting to know what had happened between him and Satsuki the previous night. His cheeks turn slightly pink before a smirk crosses his face.

She didn’t call him a lecherous pervert for nothing.

“So I throw her onto my bed and pull off her socks one by one and marvel at her legs. I embrace them with my tongue and follow with my hands.”

Some of the girls begin to take a step back, flustered by the intimacy of the conversation. One breaks off and leaves, not wanting to think of her classmate in such a situation.

Aomine continues his epic anecdote of lies, “She unzips her skirt and I pull it to her ankles, spending a few moments to marvel at her cute lacy underwear and start on the buttons of her blouse. One by one I unfastened them and while she squirmed and complained about me taking so long I-“

“Okay! Forget we asked!” the remaining girls shriek, fleeing.

Dai-chan laughs and continues toward the roof where Satsuki waits for him.

“I hope you told them I was good Dai-chan.”

“They didn’t even get that far Satsuki!” he snorts. They share a glance and she bursts into a fit of giggles.

Handing him a bento she smiles kindly.

“For last night!”

“Thanks, Satsuki.”


	10. Finally

 

Kuroko Testuya has been distressed for weeks.

This was getting ridiculous.

No texts. No calls. No updates.

From either of them.

Finally he would see them.

Finally Riko had arranged a practice match with Torou Academy. Finally he would get an inclination. Finally. Finally. Finally.

Distracted all day, Kuroko pulls himself together as well as he can when he meets the eyes of his girlfriend. Kyoko-san greets him at the door after class with overwhelming enthusiasm.

“Finally Tetsuya! Finally you guys get to play against that rude Aomine-kun who interrupted our practice!”

‘Right. Of course, she doesn’t know why he interrupted practice.’

“It’ll be a lot of fun to play against Aomine-kun again, Kyoko-san.”

“I’m really excited!”

“So am I.”

They board the rented bus and settle in. With an odd number of students in the bus, Kyoko-chan finds herself sat alone. She spends the ride staring at her phone and texting Tetsuya from the front.

She rolls her eyes at Coach Riko, sat beside her boyfriend, Captain Hyuuga Junpei. She didn’t think Coach was particularly pretty and by stereotype’s standards, women on men’s sports teams tend to be lookers. Yet Coach was in a relationship with Captain Hyuuga before she had even joined up! It seemed insane to her. Was he a masochist?

Across from her sit Kuroko and Kagami, talking about Torou in hushed voices.

“Have you spoken to Momoi since then?” Kagami asks.

“No. I wanted to give her some space to work things out. I wish I had now.”

“Aho?”

“Aomine-kun has also been quiet.”

“That’s weird. Maybe because he came  to practice that time?”

Kuroko shrugs his shoulders.

“I’m worried about Momoi-san.”

“Trust you to worry about her when you’re with someone else.”

Kuroko elbows him.

Nothing more is said.

 

Upon arriving at Torou Academy, they are greeted by the impish Sakurai Ryou. He waves meekly at the visiting team.

“Doesn’t the MANAGER usually greet the visiting team?” Kyoko asks loudly.

“Sorry! It’s me today! I’m sorry.”

“Oi, where’s Ahomine?”

“Aomine-kun is inside, warming up. He’s excited for you to be here, Kagami-kun.”

“Excited is he?” Kagami grins, rolling up his sleeves.

Kuroko says nothing, walking beside Kagami and Kyoko.

They enter the gym and Kuroko surveys the space. No sign of the iconic pink hair that belongs to Momoi. He hangs his head.

“Yo! Tetsu! How are ya!” Aomine greets, jogging over and holding his fist out to the shorter boy. He makes a fist and they bump them together. Kyoko narrows her gaze.

“Hello, Aomine-kun. I’m well. And you?”

“Good good.”

“Where is Momoi-san today?” Kuroko asks.

“Satsuki?”

At the sound of a girl’s name, Kyoko’s head begins to turn, frantically searching out another girl. She, like Kuroko is unsuccessful.

“Um…Momoi-san said she had clean-up duty today and some business to attend to at Kaijo High School this afternoon!” Sakurai pipes up.

“You’re kidding?” Kagami asks.

“I’m sorry but I’m not kidding,” Sakurai hangs his head.

“Momoi-san…” Kuroko mutters.

“What’s up, Tetsuya?” Kyoko-chan asks, tilting her head to the side.

“Momoi’s a friend of his from Teiko!” Kagami declares.

Hyuuga and the other students that had been there when she first introduced herself roll their eyes. Kagami was understating absolutely everything.

Immediately images of what this girl could look like began to conjure up in Kyoko’s mind.

Friends with Tetsuya? Affiliated with the basketball team? If Riko-senpai was any indicator, pretty girls aren’t usually affiliated with boys sports teams after all.

An image of a brunette with wide hips and a pudgy stomach came to mind, large thighs and thick glasses. Maybe she was plus sized? Maybe she was a big girl and felt less judged by people like Tetsuya. That’s her Tetsuya! Always making people happy!

Kuroko hangs his head, thoughts swirling.

She has business at Kaijo? Is she planning a match between Kise and Aomine again? She isn’t here. She didn’t show up. This could all be a lie. Maybe she’s a wreck? Maybe she’s a mess.

He approaches Aomine.

“Tetsu, you’ve got a shadow.”

“Haha. The shadow’s shadow. Aomine-kun, meet Kyoko-san. Kyoko-san this is Aomine-kun.”

“I have so many bones to pick with you! First of all! Why did you interrupt our practice and take everyone’s attention off what they should have been doing! You threw everything out of whack and it was incredibly rude of you!”

“Kyoko-san.” Kuroko says, tone sharp.

Kagami snorts.

Aomine’s brow twitches. From the looks of this, Miss Kyoko-san knew very little of Satsuki.

“I told you when I arrived that I was wanting to play Bakagami.”

“You should treat your fellow players with respect!” Kyoko declares.

From the other side of the court, the captain, Wakamatsu, and Hyuuga, who he was talking to, burst into howls of laughter.

“Nice try lady but that idiot only treats few with respect!”

“What incredible sportsmanship!” she snorts, flouncing away and sitting on a bench, arms crossed.

“Aomine-kun…how is Momoi-san.”

“Tetsu…what do you think?” Aomine replies.

Kuroko goes rigid.

“Oi! Aho! Let’s go already!”

“Warmed up already, Bakagami?” Aomine jeers, running over and snagging a basketball from the bench Kyoko sits at without giving her a second look.

She huffs, crossing her arms. What an idiot! Why wasn’t he checking her out! She’s pretty!


	11. Fleeing

 

Satsuki couldn’t do it. She knew from the minute Coach told her it was to happen that she couldn’t do it. There was no way that she was ready to see Tetsu-kun. She needed to get away from him. She needed and excuse. And found it in Ki-chan.

Early morning springtime showers had left remnants of puddles on the streets of the Kaijo School District.

Momoi wandered through town, following the signs to Kaijo. She had never gone via public transport before. Always in the Torou bus with her team. She had nearly gotten lost. Twice.

As she ascends a flight of stairs she begins to see the high arching open gates of one of Japan’s basketball powerhouses.

She runs into the embrace of the Kaijo manager, Koneko Ryoko upon arriving outside the school.

She had cut her hair recently too. A drastic cut from her chest to her collar bones. But it suited her. With a loose tie and an untucked shirt, Koneko Ryoko leans on the school gate. Her entire demeanour changes once she spots Satsuki.

She moves away from the gate and stands on her toes, waving frantically, calling out her name from the second the top of a peachy head of hair ascended the stairs.

“Aah! Satsuki-chan! I am loving your hair! You look so cute!”

“So do you Ryoko-chan! I can’t believe you cut your hair! You said you liked it long!”

“Some boy from my old school showed up at the gates a few weeks ago. Someone I really didn’t want to see Satsuki-chan. I hid in Kise-kun’s fangirl swarm when I had to go home.”

“So you cut your hair?”

“He always liked my long hair. I wanted him gone so I cut it off. No big deal! I think I look radiant!”

And to demonstrate her point, the beaming manager of Kaijo High School does a twirl in the middle of a puddle, sending ripples of water across the length and width of the water. She bounces up and down and laughs.

“Radiant. That’s for sure!” Satsuki smiles kindly at the hyperactive manager.

Part of her begins to wonder whether Tetsu-kun’s new girlfriend Kyoko-san is anything like Ryoko-chan. If she was to be, Satsuki really needed to give up on him.

Stepping out of the puddle and giving her friend another hug, Ryoko-chan begins to talk again.

“How are you, Satsuki-chan?”

“I’m okay, Ryoko-chan, I’ve been better.”

Ryoko-chan pauses. She tilts her head to the side for a moment and glances at Satsuki again. Make-up, a new hairstyle and not feeling the best would usually equate to a rough break up. Which would also justify her desperation to see Kise.

She blinks frantically, realising Satsuki is waiting on a reply.

“Of course, Satsuki-chan. Kise will be done soon! You can come inside and wait for him!”

“Thank you Ryoko-chan.”

Koneko Ryoko was by far, one of the prettiest girls that Satsuki had come across. Her sunny honey coloured hair is iconic and her make-up skills have always been impeccable. Satsuki had heard a rumour that Ryoko had dressed up as a boy at her old school and had gotten away with it until someone spoke to her. It was non-uniform day and she had worn a baseball cap.

Ryoko’s collar bone length hair bounces with her as she skips toward the gym.

“By the way Satsuki! Your make up is on point! The highlight looks great! Is that ‘Sakura’ by KimiLae?” Ryoko asks with a beaming smile.

“It is! Is it that iconic?” Satsuki asks with a giggle.

“Well yeah! The pink shimmer gives it away.”

“I’m loving the cat’s eye eyeliner Ryoko-chan! Living up to the name I see?”

“Haha! Don’t you know it, Satsuki-chan!”

Satsuki found Ryoko-chan easy to talk to. They met at the start of their second years as High School Students and Satsuki had approached her after seeing her flustered and flailing trying to find a document that the Kaijo coach was demanding to have. It was Ryoko-chan’s first game as a manager. After some time, Satsuki learned that before she transferred to Kaijo from her old school, she had played on the girl’s team.

They had apparently got a lot in common; their positions on their High School basketball teams being the most obvious. Ryoko-chan was a girl that Satsuki was comfortable being with as she wasn’t necessarily the beacon for male attention. She didn’t feel as afraid of doing things when she was in the Kaijo school district around Ryoko-chan.

“C’mon Satsuki-chan! If we don’t hurry up you’ll miss Kise’s practicing!”

“What’s he doing, Ryoko-chan?”

“Perfect Copy!” she beams, bounding along the glistening path.

Satsuki rushes to catch up with her blonde friend. As they walk to the gym they discuss their make-up woes and laugh at their mistakes. Satsuki prattles on about how she poked herself in the eye with a mascara wand that morning.

But she can’t forget why she was actually there. She can’t forget that Tetsu-kun is in her gym right now. A Tetsu-kun with a new girlfriend.

Her heart wept while her face smiles.


	12. Rooftop

 

His eyes had lit up like a Christmas tree when Satsuki strolled into the gym, arm in arm with Kaijo’s hyperactive manager. Kise grins at them.

He always found their friendship unnerving and almost weird. Momocchi was great at her job as a manager, dedicating vast expanses of time to her duties and having a rule of trying to keep a distinction between when he and his former teammates were colleagues and her teammates and when they were her friends. She was always busying herself with data collection and only relied on intuition if it was supported by data.

Ryokocchi took managing in her stride after a brash and rough start. She, however, was very hands on, being a player too. She grew in confidence under the encouragement of the captain, coach and Kise himself. By the Winter Cup in weeks just gone, she actively got her hands dirty, bustling through the court with data and facts. But she treated her teammates as friends regardless of location, therefore had folders full of blackmail material to get them to do as she pleased. She, unlike her pink haired friend, happened to be very much an instinct first data second sort of manager. She would gamble and take risks and use facts as supporting evidence.

Momocchi and Ryokocchi were a pretty good match in the friend department but it still didn’t cease to make Kise wary.

He, already changed back into his school uniform, waves to his fellow students and leaves with Satsuki. Kise rarely left early anymore so he doubts he’ll get into huge amounts of trouble for not helping to clean the gym after practice.

After wandering around for what felt like forever, Kise and Satsuki find themselves sat on the roof of the apartment complex his brother is living at, staring up at the clouds. Bags left in in his brother’s flat, they finally have space to talk.

“Momocchi, how are you doing?” Kise asks, back against a chain linked fence to keep people away from the edge.

“I don’t know anymore. I’m so confused Ki-chan!” Satsuki head is in her hands.

“Talk to me, Momocchi. You said you wanted to talk to me what’s going on?” Kise rests his hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentile squeeze.

“Testu-kun got a new girlfriend…” Satsuki says to the ground.

“Ehh! But Momocchi is Kurokocchi’s girlfriend!” He exclaims.

“Not anymore apparently, Ki-chan…”

“Momocchi, what happened?”

Satsuki sighs, looking up at the sky. She watches the clouds pass above them and listens to the thrum of the city streets beneath them. She takes a deep breath, feeling a lump rising in her throat.

“I confessed to him right before White Day, but he told me he was dating some Kyoko-san.”

“Kyoko-san? She sounds boring, Momocchi!” Kise rolls his honey gold eyes.

“All we know is her name, Ki-chan,” Satsuki laughs weakly.

“Momocchi that doesn’t matter!” He exclaims, turning to face her, sitting on his knees and opening his arms to her.

“Ki-chan, I still love Tetsu-kun. This really hurts.” She says, falling into his arms.  

“It will hurt, Momocchi.” He says into her hair, stroking it while he holds her.

“Ki-chan?”

“Yeah?”

“How does it feel?” Satsuki asks.

He stiffens, looking down at her with raised brows.

“How does what feel?”

“Knowing you can be with anyone you want to be with, Ki-chan…” she murmurs into his shirt.

Her mind whirls to beautiful faces of people she had seen Ki-chan with in their five years of friendship. Five years of brilliant smiles and great matches. She thinks back to the girl that Haizaki-senpai took from him, Nomura-chan. Her head whirls as she considers the models he has posed alongside in his career. Then she thinks back to friends he has had. Her mind flickers to fleeting glances with other players but quickly moves onto who she would deem a great match for him. Ryoko-chan. He has so much freedom and so much power. He can do whatever he wants. He isn’t in the shackles of pining or nursing fresh wounds from a broken heart.

Kise sighs, “Momocchi is being silly.”

“No I’m not Ki-chan! Ki-chan is really good looking and has fair pick of everyone and anyone! Ki-chan could date anybody if he wanted to!”

Kise sighs and allows his body to fold inward. His stiff shape changes to a formless embrace. He holds her in his arms in silence. No words are spoken, to allow their own thoughts to swirl.

He thinks back to all of the fangirls who he rejected. All of the hearts he has broken. All of the love stories that would remain unrequited. He sighs, looking up at the clouds too. He never considered the pain that they would be in too much. But now Momocchi, one of his two closest female friends, shares the pain of so many girls he shot down, his heart aches.

But then his mind rolls backward to sharp eyes and encouraging words. Fond insults and outrageous displays. His mind backtracks to last year when he was too much of a coward. When he knew he was unrequited.

His insides feel hollow in that inside. He hadn’t thought about him in such a long time. It had been almost a year since he was there with him. But Momocchi was only just starting a journey to move forward.

His mind cries out for Momocchi.

His heart cries out to senpai.

His soul? His soul just cries.


	13. Shopping

 

Saturday afternoon’s heavy humidity pulled many from their beds to run errands before torrential rain. Including Satsuki.

She had pulled Dai-chan from his bed to assist her.

“Hey, Dai-chan, you know how Wakamatsu-senpai needs to name a new captain and all, who do you think it’s gonna be?”

“Tch. Is that even a question, stupid? They can’t make Sakurai captain. The poor bastard is barely taken seriously now.”

“Dai-chan! It’s not his fault!” Satsuki jabs him with her arm as they approach the grocery store.

“And according to the rules you can’t make a manager the captain. I checked!” Aomine declares, chest puffing up in pride.

“Typical Dai-chan. You do realise that they can’t make me the captain officially but I can still act as it if Wakamatsu-senpai names me captain.” Satsuki rolls her eyes.

“Tch. Stupid Satsuki. If I’m the captain you know I’m going to work with you. I’m not like that idiot, Wakamatsu.”

“I know Dai-chan! I’m excited for when that happens! Akashi-kun won’t know what hit him!” she beams, skipping along the streets, eyes sparkling. She takes his hand and makes her way toward a shop/

“What did you want from here anyways, Satsuki? I thought you went to the convenience store yesterday?”

“We did, Dai-chan! But I need to buy something important!”

“I swear Satsuki, if you’re taking me tampon shopping I’m going home.”

“Dai-chan!” she wails, stomping her foot, “Don’t say that, Aho! You’re embarrassing me!”

“Ugh. For fuck’s sake Satsuki don’t cry!” he rolls his eyes and gives her a nudge, “Just hurry up.”

Walking into the store, Satsuki is immediately distracted by a sale on strawberry flavoured chocolates.

Aomine with a loud sigh, trudged toward the feminine hygiene section. He, having been to Satsuki’s house, knew which brand she used and was adamant to get this over with as soon as possible.

As he turns toward the aisle he hears a nasal voice which has pierced his ears before.

“Muuum, how aren’t we done yet? It’s a thunderstorm, not a tsunami! GOD!”

“Shush now, hon, we only have this aisle to go after this. We’re almost done.”

“I’ll get what we need from here, you get the pet food. I just want to go home already!” she whines.

Aomine turns into the aisle with haste.

“Fine fine, you know what to get. Meet me in the queue.” Her mother flounces off briskly.

Aomine brushes past the owner of the nasal voice. She turns her head and shrieks.

“Hello, Kyoko-san,” he greets monotonously, staring at the shelves, trying to identify the exact brand and colour he’s seen in Sastuki’s bathroom.

“Aomine-kun.” She replies, folding her arms, cheeks stained pink at the idea of happening across the boy she had yelled at a few weeks ago, in the feminine hygiene section of the grocery store.

“Been well?” he asks, one brow raised.

“Look, I don’t get why you’re being so…so…so up yourself around me but I don’t appreciate it one bit!”

“You’re delusional, Kyoko-san.”

“Is it to do with Tetsuya?” she demands in a hushed hiss.

Seems her mother in the pet food aisle was not aware of her daughter’s relationship with Tetsu. A wolfish grin crosses his face.

“Dai-chaaaaaaan?” Aomine’s eye twitches.

Kyoko-san snorts, “Better reply, huh? Dai-chan?”

Aomine snatches the gaudy green box of tampons from the shelf and storms out of the aisle to find Satsuki.

_‘How dare she call me Dai-chan! Only Aunt Aina and Satsuki can call me that! Stupid bitch!’_

 

He didn’t expect to see her again so soon.

She brushes straight past him with her arms full of tampons and dumps them in her mother’s shopping trolley and marches past her mother to wait past the cashier.

“Thank you for picking those up, Dai-chan.” Satsuki says, unfazed by the display by the mousey haired girl.

“Yeah yeah.”

It’s then that Kyoko-san spots him again. She goes stiff, looking away from the boy she mocked. She is struck dumb by the girl in his company. Her rosy hair is pulled up into a ponytail and her face is glittering with highlighter. Her lashes are caked in mascara, yet she doesn’t look like a plastic doll. She looks as if she’s just accentuating her features.

Kyoko’s brow twitches and she grinds her teeth together. This pink haired girl is seriously pretty.

Not fair.

Kyoko looks away from the girl’s face and wants to retch at the sight of her chest.

‘Those boobs must cause the poor bint so much pain!’ sympathetic thoughts flowed through her, ‘But what the HELL! How big are they! That’s not fair either!’

“C’mon, we can go home now.” Her mum gives her a nudge, breaking her from the trance of glaring and staring.

Aomine smirks as Kyoko trudges away, ego pummelled by Satsuki.

“Dai-chan, you were staring at that girl! She probably thought you wanted to kill her! Your resting bitch face is scary.”

“Oh shut up Satsuki!” he snorts, giving her a shove and getting his wallet out.

He pays for her shopping. She might as well gain something half as good as the satisfaction that came from seeing Kuroko’s sweet Kyoko-san squirm under his gaze. Not that Satsuki needed to know who she was.


	14. Spectating

 

As the second half of the game began, a terrific force had stricken the players on the Kaijo High School basketball court. Kagami and Kise had entered the zone; movements of subliminal force and speed aweing the newer bench warmers while the seniors watch from the stands.

Aomine and Momoi slink into the gymnasium and take a seat on the bleachers, high up in the gym to watch without immediate detection from Kuroko. The pair stand beside each other, finishing their drinks from Maji Burger when Ryoko-chan spots them. She stands on her toes and waves frantically.

The team are too distracted by the display in front of them to notice that two new spectators had arrived on the scene. Only the seniors cast them a glance. Some of them smile at Satsuki, warm and encouraging eyes making her feel slightly more comfortable.

Her breathing is uneven as she watches Kuroko weave through the court to support Kagami.

The short blonde girl by the Kaijo benchwarmers holds her clipboard in hand, mechanical pencil pressed to the corner of her mouth. She studies the movements of the other members of Serin, not caring about who has possession of the ball. She frantically scribbles notes down.

“Go Serin!” a shrill nasal voice exclaims from the courtside.

Aomine tries not to laugh as he watches Koneko Ryoko of Kaijo react to Kyoko-san.

The blonde girl’s eye twitches as Kyoko-san calls out to the team. She glares daggers across the court, huffing and crossing her arms, squishing her bust on the clipboard.

“Oi! Stop distracting them!” Riko barks.

Ryoko sniggers from the other side of the court before flipping her hair and watching the game again.

Sastuki watches the ball. Her eyes trained on those fighting for it. She smiles as Kise dominates the Serin duo. He has been honing his stamina. And he hasn’t even began to copy Kagami using Perfect Copy.

Sastuki’s eyes glitter with amazement as she watches her friend score another three pointer.

Aomine smiles at her, handing her a clipboard and some paper. She sticks her tongue out to the side as she concentrates, writing profound words and scribbling messy diagrams.

Aomine never understood the rough notes Satsuki would make before refining them. He always found them perplexing. But there was always something about that air of serenity that came from her when she was that focussed that calmed him.

Aomine returns his gaze to the game. Kaijo just scored again. Increasing the lead by another two points.

Ryoko and Kise appeared to have been right when they said they would beat Serin tonight.

A wolfish grin crosses Aomine’s face. He watches with bright eyes, leaning forward and concentrating on the movements. Soon the pair break out of The Zone and Ryoko demands a time out.

Kise high fives the manager and squirts his water bottle on his face. He looks up at the bleachers and beams up at Aomine and Momoi. He waves.

“Yoohoo! Aominecchi! Momocchi! Bet you’re here to see me win!” he grins.

“Shut up, Asshole!” Kagami yells from the Serin bench.

Kuroko looks up and smiles at the two. Satsuki is still looking at Kise.

Aomine glares at Kuroko, crossing his arms, a deep scowl etched on his face.

Ryoko and the Kaijo coach natter to their team just as Riko does.

“Kise I want you to own it. Show them that this is your court! Make them feel the blood sweat and tears you’ve invested already!” Ryoko exclaims, pumping her fist.

Aomine rolls his eyes.

She ignores Kuroko for the majority of what remains of the game, her attention fixated on the ace and soon to be captain of the Kaijo High School basketball team. She smiles contently, glad Dai-chan coerced her into doing this. She has already acquired substantial data.

And she did it while being in the same room as Tetsu-kun.

Maybe she could do this. Maybe it could get easier.


	15. Successors

 

Sakura petals rain from trees outside the Torou Academy Gym.

Inside, a crowd has been drawn to the stage. None wear their sports kits. They just stare in their school uniform up at a wall of students mounted on the wall at the back of the stage.

Wakamatsu looks back at the wall, chest puffed up in pride and elation as his eyes study the images. His heart swells with pride as his eyes flicker from his original captain, Hirakawa Jun, shaking his senpai’s hand. It was followed by Imayoshi shaking Hirakawa’s hand and then by Wakamatsu shaking Imayoshi’s. Time had raced by.  

The coach speaks fond words as he reminisces about the graduating seniors, smiling at the men he had raised up to create an even stronger basketball team for Torou.

A teary eyed Wakamatsu stands in line with his fellow third year students on the main team as Coach says his final words. His lip quivers as he stares at his comrades in arms, his allies, his teammates. His gaze locks onto three faces in the crowd.

He takes a deep shaky breath, stepping forward and taking centre stage.

“Okay everyone! Today’s the big day. Last day before we graduate and I’ve finally come to a decision about the roles on this team!” he barks, the loud impression quelling any bubbling noise from the crowd of students.

Satsuki crosses her fingers, praying her predictions are accurate.

“To begin, I will be naming your new Vice. I picked him for his nerve and skill. Oi! Sakurai, get your ass up here!”

He gasps, eyes wide. Sakurai blinks rapidly and stares up at the teary eyed upperclassman that stand upon the stage in the gymnasium.

“Sorry?” he asks, eyebrows raised.

Wakamatsu laughs heartily and holds his hand out toward the meek brunet. Satsuki beams at him as he ascends the staircase onto the stage.

“Sakurai Ryou will be your new Vice Captain. He is a great player with nerve and skill and doesn’t let pressure beat him down. You have so much power, Sakurai. Keep playing hard for us.”

Sakurai’s eyes begin to water, the reality of his situation sinking in as he is applauded by dubious and proud teammates alike.

“Yay Ryou-kun! I’m so proud of you!” Satsuki declares from the crowd, stood beside Dai-chan.

“I chose the new captain in reference to something my predecessor said when I took up this position. You need someone in charge that can handle your ace. I came to the conclusion that there was only one person who could do that to the level necessary. The new captain of the Torou basketball team is Aomine Daiki!”

“Yes!” Satsuki beams, clapping her hands, “Go Dai-chan!”

Aomine grins widely as he climbs up onto the stage and shakes Wakamatsu’s hand before putting Sakurai in a headlock.

“Okay you guys! Now let’s beat down the generation of miracles! Let’s become the best!”

“Yeah!” the team exclaim.

“Sorry Aomine-kun but I can’t breathe…” Sakurai whimpers.

“You gotta call me captain now, Sakurai!”

“Sorry, captain!”

Wakamatsu wipes his eyes and clears his throat, “Now for the final announcement. Your manager. After thorough examination of all candidates, one Momoi Satsuki has been offered the position to man this ship to victory. Don’t let Torou down Momoi.”

“Yes Wakamatsu-senpai!” she declares.

“Now get on the stage for the photo!” he commands.

Satsuki shrieks before scampering up the stairs to the stage too, standing between the captain and the vice, beaming like a little kid as one of the other second years snaps a photo of them. He then takes one of the third years and then of the former members in these positions shaking hands with their replacements. And a final photo of a smug Momoi Satsuki, grinning as she bestows the position of manager back upon herself.

She moves across the stage and gives Aomine’s hand a squeeze.

“You’ll be amazing, Captain.” She whispers.

Aomine’s eyes widen for a moment and he feels emotions twisting his insides into knots. He wants to bawl like a baby and weep like he has just broken every bone in his leg. He wants to let emotions be free through his eyes. But he refrains. He can wait. Later.

“Are you ready, Satsuki?”

“Absolutely.”

 

He is tense for the entirety of practice. The third years annihilate the first and second year boys that are up for playing. Some are too emotional. Aomine refrains from gameplay. He sits on the stage, head hung, one knee bent upward while his other leg hangs off the stage.

Satsuki sits beside him and stares at his face. Her fingers gently caress his face and raise his hung head. He turns to face his childhood friend, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Dai-chan! I’m so proud of you.”

He bites his lip and looks away from her shining eyes. His body is stiff.

Sakurai is playing on the court, weaving his way through, implementing the advice and methods he had been given during his time on the team. He was leading an offensive manoeuvre, passing the ball across multiple parties in a quest to score a basket.

Satsuki watches this before turning back to Aomine. His body still tense under the weight of his new position. Satsuki gives his hand a squeeze. She smiles at him.

“Satsuki... I’m…”

“You don’t have to be Akashi-kun to be great Dai-chan.” She says, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders. He envelops her in an embrace, clinging to her body like a lifeline. His body shakes with silent tears.

Satsuki clings to him.

“We can do this Dai-chan.”


	16. Courtside Spectators

 

Trainers squeak against puddles on tarmac as Satsuki faces her friend on the court.

It had taken hours to haul Dai-chan from his bed and motivate him to practice. To further the inconvenience, they were unable to find a vacant street court for miles, happening upon one with a frowning friendly face stood there.

“Afternoon Midorin, Takao-kun!” Satsuki beams, waving to them as she strides further onto the court.

“Hey Momoi-chan! Long time! How are you?” Takao strides over to greet them, giving her a quick hug and holding his fist out toward Aomine.

Takao dodges the basketball flying toward his head, Aomine catches it and tosses it back.

“I’m good. I’m good! Now tell me, how is your team looking?” she asks, nudging Takao’s arm with her elbow, eyes narrowed.

“Great! Great! Shin-chan made captain…OBVIOSULY! But yours truly snatched vice!” Takao grins giddily.

Aomine rolls his eyes, striding over to his former teammate.

“You Midorima, want to play?”

The green haired teenager pushes up his glasses with taped fingers before sighing audibly. He tosses the ball to Takao.

“Looks like we’re spectating this time around, eh, Momoi-chan?”

“Sure!” she smiles, sitting down on one of the drier patches of the ground.

Takao throws the ball into the air before sitting beside Satsuki. He smiles widely at her. She returns the gesture.

“Takao-kun, I’m so happy you made vice! You’ve been an incredible player!” Satsuki declares.

“What brought that compliment on, Momoi-chan? You’re making me blush!” Takao laughs, cheeks pink.

“Oi! Takao! Stop being so loud you’re distracting me.” A loud voice shouts from centre court.

“Yeah yeah, like you’re going to miss, Shin-chan.” Takao sneers, leering toward the court lines, smirking slyly.

Aomine tosses the ball at Takao’s face with a laugh and an obnoxiously false “whoops”.

Satsuki laughs, producing a tissue for Takao’s bloody nose.

“That idiot will be the death of me,” Midorima scoffs, retrieving the basketball and tossing it at the hoop on the other side of the court. It lands without wavering. Takao grins and Midorima frowns in response.

“Wow!” a voice exclaims. Satsuki and Takao turn to see three little kids staring at the court from behind the chain link fence. They all have dark hair and eyes. Two girls and a boy. The taller girl has a ball beneath her arm, it is of similar dimensions to a basketball but is made of rubber. A face is on one side of the red ball.

Satsuki smiles fondly. She used to have one of those, those balls would smell like fruits.

The shorter girl has hair in braids and freckles on her face. She presses her face against the fence and stares up at the giant that is Midorima with awe. “That’s so cool! Did ya see that! Did you see him! Did you see what he did!”

“Aww, Midorima’s got fans!” Aomine laughs from the other side of the court.

Satsuki tilts her head to the side and beckons the children into the court.

“Boys move over! You should let them play too!” Satsuki commands, getting to her feet and marching toward Aomine. He puts his hands on his hips and raises his eyebrows at her. Satsuki rolls her eyes and shoves him.

“Oh come on Satsuki, you’re going to make me lose!” Aomine wails, “Stop throwing me off!”

She shoves him again, “Stupid selfish Dai-chan…” she mutters.

The children rush onto the half of the court that the teenagers had vacated, racing around, bouncing the ball and trying to score. Takao glances over at them from time to time.

When the ball bounces off the short girl’s foot and rolls over, Takao picks it up.

“Shin-chan, heads up!” he shouts, throwing the ball backward toward the new captain of Shuutoku. The children stare in amazement as the tall green haired boy leaps into the air, catches the ball and throws it into the basket. It’s a clean shot, as usual.

“Wow!” the girl says, rushing toward Takao. “That’s so cool! You guys are super good!”

“Thank you,” Takao says, bending down to look the girl in the eye, “But I bet you guys are better than me and my friends here!”

The children stare at him dubiously.

“Yeah! Takao’s right!” Aomine grins, striding over to the children with a grin. Satsuki swats him.

“Dai-chan, don’t scare them.”

“Would you like to play with us?” the little boy asks with a lisp. He gives the teenagers a gummy smile, his two front teeth missing.

Takao beams at them and nods.

“Only if you want us to? C’mon Shin-chan! You should show them how to shoot like you!”

The short girl nods frantically as the green haired captain raises an eyebrow at his friend. Satsuki huffs, getting to her feet and pulling a disgruntled Midorima toward the children.

Midorima takes his basketball in his hands and hands it to the short girl. She stares up at him. He puts his hands over hers and leads her through the technicalities of a three pointer. She nods intently.

After an hour of practicing with Midorima, she scores her first three. Takao sneaks a photo of his friend’s boastful expression, causing him to get hit in the stomach by the kids’ ball.

“Shin-chan! She’ll be better than you by the end of the day!” Takao declares.

Satsuki giggles, nudging Takao, “Midorin is such a good teacher.”

“I know right! Shin-chan has such focus and drive! No wonder people want to learn from him!”

“I bet he’s really happy to have shared his wisdom, huh, Takao-kun?”

“Shin-chan is very happy.”


	17. Shin-chan-senpai

 

As the sun drags its way across the sky, two middle aged women walk toward the court. The children run from the court and drag the women into the basketball court.

The little boy holds one woman’s hand, “Mummy! Mummy! This is Shin-chan-senpai! You need to see what he taught Aina-nee!”

Midorima’s eye twitches at the use of such a nickname. He casts a hasty glare at Takao for orchestrating it. How dare these kids look at him with such adoration and call him something so jovial. If not for the children’s presence, he would have punched Takao by now.

“Shin-chan-senpai is amazing, Mummy!” the other girl, Hana says to the second woman.

“Aina-nee! You need to show them!” the boy, Yuuri says to his sister.

The shorter girl takes a deep breath, taking hold of the basketball and shoots. The ball flies through the hoop without a hitch.

“I did it Shin-chan-senpai!” she exclaims, jumping up and down.

“You did so well today, Aina-chan. So did you Hana-chan. And you Yuuri-kun,” Midorima smiles fondly at the young kids.

“C’mon kids. Your dads are parked outside. Go to the car now.” Yuuri and Aina’s mother says. The children nod and wave to their new tutor while Takao sniggers.

“Thank you for playing with our kids.” Hana’s mother bows her head toward the teenagers.

“Your children have talent!” Takao declares with a bright smile.

“Thank you so much.”

“Thank you for teaching them.” Aina’s mother says, smiling at Midorima, “You probably had something much better to do today but you spent your time with them. I don’t think they will forget that.”

“Thank you.” Midorima replies.

The group bow their heads to one another before the mothers leave the court.

Aomine gets his water bottle from his bag and squirts Satsuki with it.

“We could have been training all day you hag!” he shouts as she shrieks. Sastuki breaks into a run, laughing brightly as she crosses the court.

Aomine grabs her in his arms and begins to tickle her stomach. She kicks and squeals as Midorima and Takao sit down by the fence.

They watch the two prancing around with smiles on their faces.

“Shin-chan-senapi! You were such a good teacher!”

“Call me that again and I will break your face with the basketball.” Midorima declares.

Takao begins to laugh.

“From the other side of the court.”

He shivers, very much aware of the accuracy of his aim. A nervous laugh escapes his lips as he watches Aomine and Momoi. In the time the pair were talking to one another, Satsuki had clambered onto Dai-chan’s back.

“Hey! Takao-kun! Throw me the ball! I’m gonna dunk!” Satsuki laughs.

“Yeah, because you’re too short to dunk any other way. You’re so tiny Satsuki!” Aomine laughs.

Takao brushes himself down before hurling the ball toward Satsuki as he would to a jumping Midorima. She catches it, which shocks him for a moment. And then dunks.

“Satisfied now Sat-sucky!” Aomine jeers.

Satsuki clambers down from his back and scuttles toward the fence. Midorima gets back up, cracks his knuckles. Aomine tosses him the ball and after thumbing the surface, Midorima shoots from his current position.

Satsuki turns to Takao, stretching her arms forward.

“I hope Shuutoku can prove themselves next year! You guys work so hard. You haven’t complained once!”

“Thanks, I guess?” Takao says with an uneasy laugh, “We haven’t had the best of luck at late but we will win against Rakuzan soon enough!”

Satsuki beams, nodding her head frantically, “I’m so glad that you’re motivated, Takao-kun!”

“Momoi.” Midorima says, approaching the pink haired girl. He towers over her and she stares up at him, craning her head up so she can face him.

“What’s up, Midorin?”

“Giving up so soon? Oi! Midorima! Don’t ignore me!” Aomine hollers from centre court. The green haired shooter rolls his eyes, handing the ball to his newly appointed vice.

“Tch. Takao, you go.”

“Subtle, Shin-chan.” Takao rolls his eyes, pulling himself up from the tarmac.

He stretches his shoulders as he moves toward the Torou ace. He bends his right arm at the elbow, and extends it across his chest before jogging over and high fiving Aomine.

“You ready to go, Takao?” Aomine asks with a grin.

“Hell yeah! Let’s do this!”

Satsuki’s eyes narrow as she studies them. Takao and Aomine have never faced off in an official match since they joined High School. That fact alone had irked Satsuki enough to push for a friendly game between the two schools out of mere curiosity more than anything. They met on centre court and Takao managed to keep relative pace. From that point onward they had been friendly. It warmed Satsuki’s heart.

Midorima tires of the spectacle after ten minutes of watching the boys run across the court chasing a ball, shouting petty insults at one another as they play. He turns to Satsuki with raised brows.

“Momoi.”

“What’s the matter, Midorin?”

“You have cut your hair.”

“I did, yes. Is there something wrong with it?” she counters, raising an eyebrow.

“No. I just remember you saying something about wanting to keep it long.”

“I changed my mind,” Satsuki shrugs her shoulders.

Midorima stares at her in silence for several moments.

“Does this have to do with Kuroko?”

Satsuki freezes for a minute, digging her fingernails into her palm, trying her best not to seem upset by the blunt accusation from her former teammate. She breaks the skin and hisses through her teeth before replying.

“No, Midorin.” Satsuki crosses her arms, looking away from her friend and watching the display in front of them.

It always surprised Satsuki how well Takao and Aomine matched up on the court. Regardless of not being on the same level as the Generation of Miracles, he was one of the few that had a high chance of being able to catch Aomine off guard. His Hawk-Eye capabilities gave him vast vision and perception which was effective when playing against someone powerful like Aomine.

Satsuki watches with a grin.

“Hey Midorin, I think that next year is going to be a bloodbath.”

“You ready to get your hands dirty, Momoi?”

“Of course, Midorin! I can’t wait to get stuck in.”

Midorima smiles at her before drawing his attention to Aomine and Takao. Just as Takao scores.


	18. Squid Fest!

 

As Aomine fastened his yukata at the waist, he huffs to himself. He glances at the mirror in his grandmother’s bedroom and rolls his eyes, doubting many teenagers would be donning such attire for a festival.

But he promised that he would go.

He sighs and trudges out of the room to speak with his grandma while Sastuki finishes getting ready.

_“Thanks for inviting me, Dai-chan!”_

_“Thanks for coming, Sastuki.”_

_The pink haired girl sits at the window, hands pressed on the surface as she stares outside with a bright smile._

_“It’s been years since I came here!”_

_“Yeah. Grandma couldn’t make it to Tokyo this year because of her hip. Mum didn’t want her to miss out on seeing me this year. But she knew I would be bored on my own.”_

_“I’m glad Auntie invited me!” Satsuki beams, “She said there would be a squid festival this week, right?”_

_“Yeah. Some sort of squid festival. Mum packed my yukata and everything. She really wants us to go.”_

_“Auntie told me to bring mine too! I love festivals, Dai-chan! Let’s go please!”_

Aomine’s Grandma sits in her wheelchair in front of her television. Her sore veiny hands thumbing through a photo album, eyes watering.

“Ah, Dai-chan. You’re ready already?” his grandma asks, moving her stiff hand to pat the sofa. He sits down beside her.

“How are you, Grandma?”

“I’m fine, Dai-chan. I’m very happy to see you. It feels like only yesterday you were a little dot of a boy that I could cradle in one arm. You’ve grown up so quickly, Dai-chan.”

Aomine is silent, listening to the croaky voice of his grandmother as she turns the pages of her photo album.

“I am so proud of you, Dai-chan. You have done so well. You are so talented,” she gives his hand a squeeze. He smiles at his grandmother.

“Dai-chaaaaaaan?” Satsuki calls from the guest room, where she got dressed.

“Yeah?”

“I’m done, you can go back into the guest room now!” Satsuki calls, making her way into the living room.

Satsuki has her hair pinned up into a bun with two braids leading into it from the side. Her face is dusted with light make up and her lips are covered in a clear gloss. The yukata she wears is simple and elegant, a pale pink with dark blue lilies across it. She pokes her tongue out at Aomine.

He stares with an open mouth, his eyes drinking in every inch of her body.

“Earth to Dai-chan!” Satsuki laughs.

Aomine’s grandmother smiles warmly at Sastuki.

“You look wonderful Satsuki, darling. Please sit down with us.”

Satsuki takes a look over at her childhood best friend. He’s wearing his father’s yukata. She smiles, wanting to race her fingers across the fabric like she used to do as a child. Aomine wears a simple navy yukata, cinched at the waist with a light pink sash.

“Gosh you both have grown so much.”

“Grandma Satsuki hasn’t grown in years!”

“Dai-chan!” Satsuki huffs, crossing her arms.

 

They wander through the rows of stalls, illuminated by lanterns in the twilight. Aomine watches as children race around, babbling about nonsensical things that will be irrelevant in years to come. He passes by stalls he has seen many times before when he has visited this festival.

Satsuki appears amused enough as she walks beside him, holding candyfloss in her hand as she natters on about their plans for Torou.

“My data states that we are not to underestimate the power of Shuutoku High School. You remember the one on one you played with Takao a few weeks ago? That was him on his own. We can’t guarantee what kind of players we will get but we have an inclination of Shuutoku’s starting line-up after this year.”

“Yeah, no wonder they lost their practice matches. They practically started from scratch.”

Satsuki nods her head, taking a bite out of her candyfloss, wisps getting stuck on her lip gloss and melting. She continues to eat so he prattles on.

“Their captain was a benchwarmer for God’s sake!”

“He proved himself to be decent though, Dai-chan!” Satsuki argues, elbowing him.

“What do you have on the other schools?”

“Yosen lost Himuro-kun at graduation and rumour has it that Muk-kun was hesitant to become the captain as it would be too much effort to take charge. Though Akashi-kun may have already convinced him to do it.”

“But is Murasakibara a leader?”

“I’m sure Muk-kun can do it!” Satsuki declares, taking a few steps and turning so she can stop right in front of Aomine.

“Satsuki what’s wrong?”

“Nothing really, it’s just…weird you know? To think that the endgame is so close? It’s finally our turn to show them what we can do.”

“What you can do.” Aomine corrects, his gaze narrows at her.

Satsuki rolls her eyes. She throws her candyfloss in the bin beside her and folds her arms.

“Dai-chan, I want you to show them what you can do too!” she says, taking hold of his hands and pulling on his hands, dragging his body forward. She flicks him in the forehead.

“Rei-chan! Let’s go and get something to eat!” a hyperactive blond teenager, around the same sort of age as Aomine and Satsuki charges past, dragging a considerably taller bespectacled boy along with him. The taller one clips Aomine on the shoulder.

“Nagisa-kun be careful!”

“Oi!” Aomine shouts back to the teen who bumped into him.

“Sorry!” he hollers, already having been dragged away.

“Dai-chan, look at me.” Satsuki commands, walking ahead. Aomine’s gaze fixes on her rosy hair. The same rosy head of hair that led him into Teiko Middle School and the same one that dragged him along with her on the route to captainship.

He smiles.

“Satsuki, you’re already scheming aren’t you, you little shit!”

“Well someone has to have their head screwed on, Aho!”

“Oi! I have mine screwed on!”

Satsuki laughs, jogging into the sea of yukatas.

“For God’s sake, Satsuki!” Aomine grins, running after her, following the sound of her laughter.


	19. Coping In A Heatwave

Kise groans, fanning himself as he stares at his phone, scrolling through his instagram account. His arms are bare, in a tank top and he wears shorts. He tweeted a post-workout selfie after playing basketball at the court several streets away in the early hours of the morning. In the picture he was already drenched in sweat, before the sweltering temperatures for the season had assaulted him.

He had since soaked in an ice bath. 

“It’s so muggy today!” he wails, craning his head back wiping the sweat from his forehead.

She strides into his house, kicking off her shoes at the door and skipping into the hallway. She wears a pair of darkwash denim shorts and a white loose fitting vest top. It is relatively sheer in material, showing the colour of her loud undergarments. She has a straw bag over her shoulder and a white cap on her head. She has a pair of sunglasses resting on her nose.

“Yo Kise! The indoor pool down the street is officially open for the break! There’s a water volleyball tournament today and wanted to know if you were in?”

“You want to play pool volleyball, Ryokocchi?” Kise asks, eyebrows raised.

Ryokocchi puts one hand on her hip, raising her eyebrows and using her finger, pulls her sunglasses down her nose so her green eyes can bore into his own eyes. She stares at him for a moment.

“I thought it would be a good idea! As the Kaijo manager I thought you would want to establish a better relationship with your teammates, Ryouta.” Ryokocchi elbows him. He winces.

“Ryokocchi! Whyyy! Why must you be logical and so summery already?”

“Because it’s hot outside and I want to soak up ALL of the vitamin D!”

“Fine Ryokocchi! FINE! But I have to bathe in sunscreen first!” Kise declares, heading to his bedroom, “Help yourself to the frozen sports drinks in my freezer!”

Ryokocchi beams, heading to his freezer and putting her own water bottle in there and taking out a bottle of sports drink. She strolls into the living room and changes the channel on the TV before tapping her fingers on her phone screen, a wicked grin across her face.

_‘Hey everyone! Who wants to play volleyball at the pool! \o/’_

 

Satsuki lies on a deckchair in the Aomine house’s back garden, reading a trashy shoujo manga, sipping from a glass of pink lemonade, taking in the blissful sunshine. Dai-chan is playing music on his phone and fiddling with a basketball.

“Satsuki I’m bored! How can you be so content?”

“Dai-chan why don’t you just pick something up to read?”

“Because why would I want to waste a day like this reading in the garden! Satsuki I want to do something!”

Satsuki rolls her eyes and sits up in the deckchair. She puts her book down and sips on her lemonade.

“I don’t really have anything in mind for today, Dai-chan, just to relax. You could just sleep?”

“And let you relax in my garden in practically nothing? What if perverts come and peek over the fence?”

“Dai-chan, you’re a pervert. You can’t exactly preach.” Satsuki laughs, “I also don't think many people would expect someone to be trying to tan in April, Dai-chan! Not only that but I’ll think you’ll find that I’m wearing more than your beloved Mai-chan!”

“Oi!” Aomine shouts, rushing to the patio and seizing hold of the garden hose. He turns the pressure up and aims for Satsuki. She shrieks and runs away from the deckchair. She takes a blow to the back with icy cold water.

“Dai-chan! I’m wounded! You stabbed me in the back with your icy weapon!” she collapses onto the grass reaching up toward the sky with one hand before lying still, eyes wide open like a bug and her tongue sticking out.

Aomine approaches her and blasts her again with the hose.

“Dai-chaaaaan!” she wails, taking hold of the hose and turning the nozzle on her childhood friend.

He shrieks like a child, scrambling away from Satsuki.

“Take that Dai-chan!”

“Oi, Satsuki, your phone’s ringing.”

Satsuki drops the hose and checks her messages.

It’s a single text from Ryoko-chan:

_‘Hey everyone! Who wants to play volleyball at the pool! \o/’_

Satsuki smirks, “Oi! Dai-chan! We may have found something to do!” Satsuki calls before screaming.

Dai-chan had blasted her again.

 

 

Upon arriving at the pool, the Kaijo basketball team are faced by their schoolmates, the volleyball team smugly stretching in front of the pool with their manager tapping her sandaled foot impatiently.

The manager of Kaijo’s volleyball team is taller and leaner than Ryoko-chan, her hips wide and jawline and cheekbones prominent. She has short black hair, sleekly styled into a pixie cut. Several earrings don her ears and her lips are painted with a loud blue lipstick. She turns around when she hears a mass of chatter and narrows her gaze at the blonde manager of the basketball team. This is Kendai Ayami.

“You guys took your time, Ryoko-chan,” Ayami-chan says, crossing her arms.

“Sorry, Ayami-chan, Kise refused to go out until there was no chance he would burn.” Ryoko rolls her eyes, stepping out of her shorts and pulling her shirt over her head.

She now stands in front of the boys volleyball team in a royal blue bandeau bikini, sunglasses still resting on her nose.

“Whatever, Ryoko-chan.” Ayami-chan huffs. “Are your boys ready to play?”

“Yes! The third years are here!” Kise grins, “We can change in the locker room and be out in five minutes, Kendai-san.”

“No.” Ryoko-chan says over the newly appointed captain, hands on her hips, “We are still one man down.”

Ryoko-chan sticks her hip out to the side and checks her watch, taking her sunglasses off and rolling her eyes.

“He’s late.”

Ryoko turns around and takes a look at the gate. Kise copies her. His jaw drops.

A relatively short dark haired man strolls into the public pool, his steely grey eyes scanning the poolside. He takes his phone out of his shorts’ pocket and looks around again.

Ryokocchi steps forward, pulling a face at the ace of Kaijo’s basketball team.

“Kasamatsu-senpai! Hello! I’m Koneko Ryoko, the basketball team’s manager! Thank you so much for joining us today!” Ryoko-chan beams, prancing over to the new face at the pool.

Kise feels like his heart is about to stop. He’s here.


	20. Ryoko's Falling Dominos

 

A pair of high school students stroll out of the sweltering cinema, slush drinks in hand as they turn their mobile phones back on.

“Was I smart or what, Shin-chan! I know that the film adaptation gave me plenty of new ideas for that literature essay we have to do.” Takao declares, nudging his friend with his elbow.

Midorima rolls his eyes, “I much preferred the book to the director’s adaptation.”

“I just found it a bit hard to you know…get?” Takao shrugs his shoulders as his phone screen illuminates.

‘ONE NEW MESSAGE – KONEKO RYOKO – KAIJO’

Takao raises his eyebrows at the notification. The last time he spoke to Miss Koneko Ryoko was at a practice game between Shuutoku and Kaijo. She rarely sent him messages, only when she wanted to get Midorima to answer his phone so she could manipulate Kise.

She was a great friend to the Kaijo ace.

Takao opens the message.

_‘Hey everyone! Who wants to play volleyball at the pool! \o/’_

Immediately, Takao types a reply to Miss Koneko Ryoko:

_‘Sorry, Koneko-san, I think you have the wrong contact? This is Takao from Shuutoku’_

_‘Yep! Exactly who I am looking for! I don’t want to be bored at the pool! Want to come with me?’_

_‘I’m with Shin-chan at the moment, sorry Koneko-san! TT^TT’_

_‘Invite him to come too! The more the merrier! I’m sure Kise would love to see Midorima-kun!’_

Takao’s eyebrows furrow.

“Shin-chan!” Takao calls to the captain of his team.

“What’s the matter, Takao?” Midorima asks, turning to face him.

“We’ve been invited to the pool. Want to watch Kise make a fool out of himself?”

A small amused smile crosses his friend’s face.

“Perhaps.” Midorima counters.

They turn around and set off back toward their homes.

‘Send me the address and we will be there soon, Koneko-san! \o/’

 

Satsuki and Aomine arrive at the pool just as the whistle blows for the game to begin. Ryoko-chan waves from the poolside.

“I’m so glad you made it Satsuki-chan! Aomine-kun!” she exclaims, giving her pink haired friend a quick hug.

Aomine excuses himself to use the changing rooms for a moment. Satsuki sits down with Ryoko-chan.

“Ahh, sorry sorry, Satsuki-chan, this is Ayami-chan, the boys volleyball team manager. It was her idea to have the Kaijo boys come to play in this tournament.”

“Hi.” Ayami-chan says, not looking away from the game taking place in the water.

“Ayami-chan isn’t the most social person, don’t take it to heart, Satsuki-chan.” Ryoko-chan assures, running a hand through her glossy honey blonde hair.

Satsuki follows Ayami’s gaze and looks into the water. Stood waist deep in one of the two swimming pools are the Kaijo basketball team’s third year students. And then one more person.

“Kasamatsu-kun? What is he doing here, Ryoko-chan?” Satsuki asks.

“I invited him, silly!” Ryoko-chan beams.

“Who else did you invite to this thing, Ryoko?” Ayami demands, glaring at the blonde.

“Haha…funny you should mention that, Ayami-chan… just two more people…”

“Two more people!” she says incredulously.

Ryoko-chan hangs her head for a moment.

“I factored in the fact that Aomine-kun would be with Satsuki-chan. So I concluded that they should have some company.”

“For God’s sake, Ryoko-chan. Why the hell did you invite Satsuki anyways? No offence.”

Satsuki shrugs her shoulders at the comment.

“We probably would have ended up here anyways. Dai-chan was bored.” Satsuki lies, flashing Ayami a smile as Aomine left the changing room. He sits beside Satsuki and stretches.

“I wonder who else might be out today, Satsuki.”

“Well Ryoko-chan won’t tell me who else she invited!” Satsuki huffs.

Ryoko laughs, shoving her rosy haired friend, “They’ll be here soon!”

As she says that a new voice crosses the pool.

“Shin-chaaan! We are already super late! C’mon! Hurry up!”

Satsuki shrieks in delight, getting up with haste and dashing toward the entrance again. She hugs the two boys that just entered.

“Midorin! Takao-kun! It’s great to see you again!”

“Momoi-chan! Great to see you!”

“Momoi, was this all your wicked scheme?”

“No no Midorin! It was Ryoko-chan’s idea! See! Kaijo’s boys are in the pool right now!” Satsuki says, pointing at the boys in the pool. Kise’s iconic blonde hair making him identifiable from the entrance.

She prances back toward where Dai-chan, Ryoko-chan and her friend Ayami-chan sit.

“That’s curious, Momoi.”

She freezes at Midorima’s words, turning around and raising her eyebrows at him.

“I’m curious as to what you find curious, Midorin.”

Midorima smiles, “I’m curious as to why you are curious about what I find curious Momoi.”

“I’m curious as to why you’re curious about why I’m curious about what you initially found curious, Midorin.”

“I’m curious as to why you are curious about what I am curious about you being curious about what I initially found curious.”

“Oh dear GOD! Shin-chan! Please! My head’s hurting!”

“Oh yeah? Well I’m curious as to why you are curious as to why I am curious about what you are curious about in reference to what you initially said was curious! Beat that Midorin!”

“I’m going to drown myself.” Takao declares, approaching the poolside where Aomine and Ryoko-chan wave him over.

Satsuki pokes her tongue out at her friend before following Takao.

Midorima rolls his eyes and follows her.

“Hello Aomine, Koneko-san.”

“You know what? I’m not dealing with all of this social stuff. I’m out. Bye bye Ryoko-chan!” Ayami declares, waving and walking over to the opposite side of the pool. She sits there and watches the game in peace.

Ryoko-chan rolls her eyes, “Don’t worry about Ayami-chan. Just let her do her own thing.”

The group collectively decide not to press Ayami into an uncomfortable situation and instead

“Now! The match is almost over so I need to have my wicked way! Be back soon!” Ryoko-chan declares, prancing toward the pool.


	21. Ryokocchi and the Pine-apple

 

Ryokocchi leaps into the pool once the game has concluded, into the arms of the watchful Kise Ryouta. Ryokocchi laughs, wrapping her legs around his waist and leaning back onto the water. She floats across the rippling surface eyes closed. She lets the water lap over her ears while the lifeguard blows on his whistle and yells at her.

Once the lifeguard is satisfied with having told Ryokocchi off for her display, she stands up and splashes one of the volleyball boys. Kise tucks her under his arm.

“For God’s sake, Ryokocchi! You brought senpai here!” he hisses to her.

“But of course, you pineapple!”

“But whyyyyy?”

“Because you’re a pine-apple! Now get off your mopey high horse and go get ‘im!”

Kise rolls his golden eyes and runs his hand through his hair. She rolls her eyes and splashes him.

“Ryokocchi why do you do this? You are such a flirt!” Kise wails, shoving her.

“Because I can, after all, it’s not like you’re interested, _Ryouta_.” She counters, bumping his side with her hip.

On the other side of the pool, Kasamatsu is being swarmed by his former classmates, all demanding acknowledgement from their former captain. He greets them all with high fives and claps on the shoulder.

“It’s good to see all of you again. You’ve done Kaijo proud, boys. Keep it up.” Kasamatsu declares, weaving his way across the pool toward the ace.

“Senpai!” Kise says, eyes shining.

“Kise.” Kasamatsu smiles back at his former classmate, “I heard you made captain. I knew you could do it.”

Kasamatsu puts a hand on Kise’s bare shoulder and giving it a squeeze. Kise’s eyes water.

Kasamatsu sighs and hoists himself out of the pool.

“Don’t just stand there like a lemon! Go after him!” Ryokocchi says, slapping her hands on the water’s surface.

Kise nods his head, giving his manager a thumbs up before climbing out of the pool after him.

Ryokocchi wades through the water and leaps onto the back of one of her classmates, laughing brightly.

“Hope you boys are bonding!” she exclaims.

On the side of the pool, Ayami-chan rolls her eyes, turning up her nose at Ryokocchi’s touchy behaviour.

 

Kise finds his former captain sat with the other members of the Generation of Miracles. Midorimacchi and Aominecchi looking considerably indifferent to the situation, while Satsuki and Takao speak to him happily.

Aominecchi sits beside Midorimacchi, discussing what their intentions are after graduation. Kise’s eyebrow raises when he hears Midorimacchi admit his positive attitude toward following in his family’s footsteps is waning slightly. However, the future isn’t on the blond model’s mind in that moment. His entire self is working in sync for a goal for the first time off the court in a long while. Head, heart, body and soul all reaching out toward one thing and one thing only.

“How has university been treating you, Kasamatsu-senpai?” Momocchi asks as Kise makes his way over.

“Classes took a while to adjust to but I fit in well with the benchwarmers at my school.” Kasamatsu replies, shrugging his shoulders, “What about all of you. Surely the High School circuit is as dramatic as before.”

“Absolutely. Shin-chan is a ball of drama!” Takaocchi declares, snorting a laugh, nudging his teammate who sits beside him, facing the other way.

“Oi.”

“Senpai there you are!” Kise greets, plodding over and sitting down with the others.

Satsuki rolls her eyes at Kise as Kasamatsu shoves him away.

“It’s been much too long, senpai! I have missed you! Moriyama-senpai doesn’t lead like you do!”

“Nor will you Kise.” Kasamatsu rolls his eyes, making Momocchi giggle.

“I cannot see you being hands on like that, Ki-chan! Maybe you Midorin!” Momocchi laughs.

Midorimacchi scowls. However, Takaocchi and Aominecchi laugh.

 

Back in the water, Ryokocchi’s eyes sparkle with mischief. She shouldn’t impose and risk giving off the wrong impression. Kise had been pining for so long for her to ruin it.


	22. Friendly Rival

 

“Oi! Satsuki! You got everything you need to start the new year?” Aomine asks over the phone, “Mum just told me that we are all out of flash cards because I burned them after I made it to third year.”

“Trust you Dai-chan! Do you need some new basketball shoes?”

“I don’t think so…”

“Well I need to buy some more equipment for this year. I’ve spent all of the break drafting offense strategies you and Ryou-kun and the fir- I mean second year students can implement against the teams I have observed.”

“Someone’s been busy, Satsuki.”

“Well you weren’t going to do it, lazy ass!”

“I think you’ll find that spending half of the break sleeping is a great way to prepare for a year of entrance exam insomnia…”

“Someone sounds motivated, eh, Dai-chan? So, want to come shopping with me?”

Aomine sighs heavily, “Fine Sastuki.”

“Brilliant!” she beams.

 

Within an hour the pair are strolling through the city, arms laden with school supplies and other items. Aomine’s holding more than his fair share of shopping bags in a t-shirt, jeans and a winter coat. The heatwave was long gone. Satsuki walks in step with him. Her hair is tied into a ponytail and make up coats her face like an enhancing sheen.

Her body is covered in a pair of white jeans and a baggy pale blue jumper.

“What’s next on your list, Satsuki?”

“I need some gridded paper from the stationary store, a new ring binder and some cute gel pends.”

“Okay, I need some new highlighters and flash cards from there too.”

“Let’s go then!” she says, tugging on his arm and pulling him in the general direction of the stationary store.

“I swear, man, you’ve been completely out of it since this morning!” a familiar loud brash voice bellows through the street.

“That’s because you keep badgering him, stupid captain!” a nasal voice retorts.

“Whatever, you stupid girl. I’m done!”

“No way…” Aomine grins, nearly dropping his shopping as a tall frame storms closer to where they stand after having yelled.

“Kagamiiiiin!” Satsuki beams, spotting the top of his red head. Upon hearing his name, he turns around.

“Bakagami! Over here!” Aomine hollers, waving.

“Yo! Ahomine!” Kagami jogs across the street and slings an arm around his rival’s shoulder, “Been a while!”

“Yeah, since I beat you at the practice match.” Aomine laughs.

“Hi Kagamin!” Satsuki greets, staring at the two boys in front of her. Kagami now stands half a head taller than Aomine. He wears a black jumper and a pair of camo print trousers and trainers. In his free hand is a bag from a sports shop.

Sastuki’s eyes narrow at Kagami Taiga, sports theories bouncing through her head. With Kagamin now being taller than Dai-chan, theory would suggest that he has more power, but in being shorter and leaner, Dai-chan would be more agile on the court. She sighs, should they ever be on the team, they could be unstoppable.

Kagami blinks frantically, staring at the rosy haired girl stood before him. She was very much Momoi Sastuki but she looks nothing like the girl he has known for so long. The way she carries herself in his company seems alien, no longer dreamy and ditsy and flirty. Instead she stands in confidence, basking in comfort.

“Hey, Momoi,” Kagami replies, eyes still fixed on her.

Aomine elbows Kagami, causing him to give out a shout.

A short silence passes over the trio. Satsuki is the one to break it.

“What are you doing in town, Kagamin? This is such a great coincidence!” she exclaims, shoving Aomine off him so she can hug him.

“I was just getting some last minute supplies with some of the team. But looks like they’ll collect the rest,” Kagami shrugs his shoulders, looking back to where he was moments ago before turning back to the Torou duo, “You guys hungry, I was just on my way to Maji Burger.”

“Dai-chan, you hungry?” Satsuki asks.

“Yeah, I could go for Maji!” Aomine grins.

“Sure, we’ll come with you Kagamin!” Satsuki says, standing between the two aces.

 

As Satsuki queues for the plethora of food the boys have demanded, Kagami and Aomine sit opposite one another, staring over at Sastuki for a moment.

“Um… Aomine, is Momoi ok?” Kagami asks.

Aomine takes a moment to register the question his rival has asked, head spinning over possible responses. He opens his mouth to reply but hesitates. He closes his eyes and cracks his knuckles, clicking each stiff finger.

Satsuki wasn’t okay. She wouldn’t be until she realised that she didn’t need to mope over Tetsu.

But on the other hand she wasn’t wallowing in sadness and despair like she had been in the weeks that followed White Day.

Aomine purses his lips before sighing, opening his eyes and meeting the red ones of his rival.

“She’s a lot better than she was, Kagami.”

“I’m glad about that, Aomine. I wouldn’t want her to be upset.”

Sastuki turns her head and glances at the boys from her position in the line. She offers them a smile, her order written on a slip of paper.

Aomine hesitates as she looks over at him, not wanting her to hear them discussing her private life, “What I don’t get, Bakagami, is why Tetsu is with Kiyoko-san.”

“The Hell if I know. I don’t like the girl. She’s annoying and nowhere near as cute as Momo-OW! What was that for, Aho?” Kagami demands, having felt a kick to his shin.

Aomine rolls his eyes, “Come on Bakagami, you go to school with those idiots there must be a reason that he likes her more?”

Kagami shrugs his shoulders, “I never saw Kuroko being the sort of person that likes other people, but there was something about Kiyoko’s powerful confidence that struck him I guess? He met her this year and when they became official she took up the manager position to spend more time with him.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I don’t get it either, not really. But she pushes him out of his comfort zone. Maybe that’s what he was missing before?”

“I don’t know if that’s reason enough. We’ve both met her after all.”

Kagami laughs, “I’m glad you find her unpleasant too. I take it that feeling is genuine and not just because of you being friends with Momoi.”

“No shit, Bakagami,” Aomine crosses his arms, rolling his azure eyes, “I can think nice things about anyone should I want too. She doesn’t have anything to do with it.”

“Well I agree about her being annoying but she is a big personality.”

“You can say that again. Her rack is tiny when compared!”

“To what? Her ego?” Kagami snorts, “Says a lot coming from a Miracle. You ironic shithead!”

“What are you talking about?” Satsuki asks, putting the tray of food down and sitting beside Aomine.

Both boys flush red.

“M-m-mai-chan…” Aomine lies.

Satsuki laughs, adjusting her sitting position and taking her food off the tray.

The scarlet boys proceed to eat their lunch, their usual competitive spark quelled by the tension.

Satsuki stares at them with narrowed eyes.

“So, Kagamin! I heard through the grapevine that Hyuuga-kun picked you for Captain! Congratulations!”

“You’ve entered the lion’s den, Bakagami.” Aomine declares, grinning at his rival.

“I don’t know about that, Ahomine! What could you do that you haven’t already done?” Kagami returns the wicked expression.

Satsuki smiles, head swaying as she sips on her milkshake, watching the boys argue.

“If I told you it wouldn’t floor you when we get on the court next now would it?”

“Sounds like you have nothing up your sleeve, Aho!” Kagami scoffs, devouring a fistful of fries.

Aomine merely grins in reply.

 

“We have to go to the stationary store, are you coming, Kagamin?” Satsuki asks, having taken their tray to the cleaning station.

“It’s a bit out of my way. I’m probably going to head home. It’s been great to see you guys though.” Kagami replies, flashing the rosy haired girl a smile. She returns the gesture before tugging on Aomine’s arm.

“Get up you slug!”

“Oi! Who are you calling a slug, Satsuki?” Aomine retorts, standing up.

“It got you up, didn’t it!” she sniggers. Kagami laughs.

The boys fist bump before parting ways. Satsuki waves frantically as Kagami turns the corner toward a coffee shop.

She walks toward the stationary shop in silence. It is Aomine who speaks up first.

“Satsuki, you remember when you proposed an initiation for the new members, like two years ago?”

Sastuki pauses, turning her head to face her childhood best friend, her ponytail swishing behind her as she turns to him.

She nods, grinning.


	23. Their Senpai

“You cannot be serious!” One of the now second year students scoffs.

“I’m as sure of this as I am that I’m the fucking captain of this team. You hear me, Asshole?”

“But you want the manager? To one on one the newbies?”

“Well it’s not like I can do it yet. I can’t scare them.” Aomine yawns, looking over his shoulder, “Oi! Satsuki! You ready?”

“Ready, Dai-chan!” she replies, heading out from the locker room.

Dressed in her gym kit is Momoi Satsuki; kitted out in nothing more than any other girl would wear to play this sport in class. She has tied her hair up into a bun for this. She strides in all her glory toward the new team members. First they had to play against the already standing lower string team. All candidates that had demonstrated decent skill now had a new opponent.

“You had better be wearing a sports bra!” Aomine sniggers.

She tosses the basketball under her arm at his face. His laughter is cut short and she smiles to herself, victorious.

“Stupid Dai-chan.”

“Do you really think this is smart, Captain?” Sakurai asks.

“Oi! Asshole! You’re my vice, have some faith in me!” Aomine snaps, swatting the apologetic newly appointed vice captain.

“Ryou-kun, the clipboard please.” She says, holding out a hand to the brunet. He obliges and hands her the information she had already acquired.

“First Ayamoto Eji.”

“Ayee! Eji gets to go at her first.”

The new first year strides toward the third year girl. She bends down and collects the ball from the ground and hands him it.

“We will go three times. Hey! Kinata Mae! Yeah! Apprentice-chan! Make notes for me!”

“Yes Momoi-senpai.”

Once Ayamoto was faced by the short pink haired girl he began to sweat. The intensity of her stare was unnerving. He began to dribble the ball toward the hoop, moving in a straight line across the court.

Aomine rolls his eyes as Satsuki runs in a diagonal line, intercepts his dribbling and heads to the opposite side of the court. She jumps and does a three pointer she had learned through years of watching Midorima Shintaro. Unlike her friend, Ki-chan, she was not a kinaesthetic learner. She could learn by watching.

“Three pointer,” Aomine’s wolfish grin is clear from the opposite side of the court.

“That’s a bit mean, Momoi-san!” Sakurai chimes.

“Oh, don’t worry, we’re going again!” she says with a bright smile.

Ayamoto shrugs his shoulders. Learning from his mistake, he starts to dribble while moving across the court in a more indirect route. He leaps into the air and dunks. She doesn’t stop him.

Once she has complete control of the ball, Momoi grips onto it like a lifeline. She bolts through the court, switching hands and turning at multiple points. She finishes it off with a set shot.

Ayamoto and the other new students are stunned.

“You’re doing great, Satsuki! Maybe one day you’ll beat me!” Aomine laughs.

“No way Dai-chan! Otherwise you’re going easy on me!” she laughs.

The first years gulp.

This is who they would be competing alongside. These are the people who make Torou Academy a powerhouse.

These are their senpai.

And so far all they’re seeing is their manager.


	24. Interrupting Practice

 

After about an hour of Momoi playing against the new first year students one at a time, she had only been beaten a handful of times. And as promised before the event, Mae-chan was putting stars down next to their names. They would play the second year students on a half court. And then any that showed promise under pressure would go against Aomine for further instruction. This was their third year. This was their year to win it. They would come out on top. They had to face all of the miracles. And beat them. When they had control.

It was going to be a bloodbath. A bloodbath Momoi had been waiting two years to begin.

She and Dai-chan had been practising at every given opportunity since the Winter Cup of their first year. He knew that regardless of everything she now felt toward Serin High School, it was always her intention to defeat them in the end.

She is faced by one of the last students Yamamoto Haruka stood before her, lean and swift. He said when he applied that he had done track and basketball together at middle school. He could be a great player, especially when it came to intercepting passes. After all, there have been and still are some incredible passers in the High School Basketball circuit.

She tosses the ball at the basket. It misses and she chases for the rebound. Skidding on her heels, she manages to snag it.

She shouldn’t be thinking about Testu-kun at a time like this! Yamazaki and Yazawa remain on the bench, ready to be assessed! She has to finish up already!

Yamamoto hasn’t seemed to notice her lapse in concentration. She shoots and he blocks her. She trips over in pursuit of the ball, however manages to get the rebound yet again. Momoi does a jump shot and manages to land the basket. Finally.

She grimaces when Dai-chan raises his eyebrows at her.

He mouths ‘Just two more to go. Keep it together’ to Satsuki and she takes a deep breath. Her muscles ache and she wants to sit down or have an ice bath. It would be worth it soon but it had been so taxing.

“Yamazaki Kenji.”

He rises and takes the ball from the ground, clapping Yamamoto on the back before attempting a three pointer. It misses by a mile and Momoi gets the ball. She tries to resist the urge to roll her eyes and slips past him, dripping across the court and shooting. It rolls around the hoop before falling in.

Kenji gets the next basket, doing another three. Being as short as she is she knew all attempts of blocking threes from anyone would be futile. So she watches instead, praying he would miss but he doesn’t. He makes it. Momoi gives another three ago after losing Kenji in another street-esque dribbling spree. She lands it and points to Yazawa.

“Yazawa Akira. Let’s go!” she feigns exuberance and passes him the ball. He grins and begins to dribble. She barely keeps pace. His style resonates with her immediately. Street. Aomine whistles lowly at the display, watching intently.

She attempts and fails to grasp the ball. Akira jumps and dunks.

He gets all three baskets.

Part of her wants to faint. Sakurai intercepts her wobbly legs and pulls her toward her designated bench.

“Yazawa! I want you to talk to Dai-chan.”

The dark haired boy nods his head. His eyes shining.

“I’m a big fan of yours. Both of yours. All of you. The Generation of Miracles I mean.”

“That’s cute.” Aomine grins, putting his hand on Yazawa’s shoulder, “What school are you from.”

“Teiko.”

“Aah. So you would have been second string when I graduated? Nice! Glad to have you on the team, Yazawa. Your style is good. You’re still a bit slow though.”

“Slow?” Yazawa gasps, taken aback by how blasé the captain stated it.

Momoi nods her head with a sad face, “You’ve got a spark, Yazawa. But he’s still the ace.”

“Oh Aho~!” a familiar voice calls.

A lost looking Kagami Taiga strolls into the gymnasium, still dressed in his gakuran from school.

“Back again so soon! I bet you’re just trying to perv on Satsuki!”

“You idiot!” Kagami laughs, slinging his arm over Aomine’s shoulder.

The first years stare in silence.

“Bakagami! What are you doing interrupting my practice? Shouldn’t you be training your noobs up?”

“Don’t worry, Ahomine! Kuroko’s got it covered.”

Momoi tries not to wince.

“I’ve actually been sent here as our trusty manager’s carrier pigeon.”

Momoi huffs.

“What nerve! You’re the captain! Not the errand boy, Kagamin!” she says.

“And you’re really sweaty, Momoi.”

“Perv!” Aomine snorts, giving his rival a shove before turning back toward Satsuki, “Go and get changed. I’ll talk to Bakagami. Oi! Sakurai! Make sure nobody’s slacking!”

“Sorry! Yes Sir!”


End file.
